


Sunset Dreams

by Miratete



Category: The Transformers (Cartoon Generation One), Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Generation One
Genre: F/M, First Love, First Time, M/M, Mech Preg, Older Man/Younger Man, Spark Sexual Interfacing, Transformer Sparklings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-06
Updated: 2019-05-09
Packaged: 2019-10-23 14:02:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 29,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17684855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miratete/pseuds/Miratete
Summary: -o-o-o-o-o-Unbeknownst to anyone else, Wheeljack intended Snarl and Swoop to function as more than warriors for the Autobots. Unfortunately the secret programming kicked in well before it was intended to and several innocents are caught up in the error.-o-o-o-o-o-





	1. Silence Speaks

-o-o-o-o-o-

Covered in darkness, a time that is past  
Waiting adrift, they cannot hold back  
Tear-misted eyes standing alone  
A broken will over all that they've known

Out in the distance, far is the calling  
Shadows still steal through the place that they knew  
A vision that's empty is what they see  
The eyes of tomorrow on sunset dreams

Sorrow deepens only to tell  
That silence speaks where words cannot mend  
A vision that's empty is what they see  
The eyes of tomorrow look to sunset dreams

Lyrics to “Sunset Dreams” by Clannad

-o-o-o-o-o-

“Can you hear that?” asked Wheeljack, standing still and looking out over the metal badlands that had once been the heart of Iacon.

“Hear what?” asked Silverbolt.

“I don't hear anything,” said Fireflight.

Wheeljack flung an arm out at the emptiness. “Exactly. Nothing. There's no noise here at all.”

“So?”

“Don't you remember how Cybertron used to sound? The noise? The bustle? Voices and transmissions and clatter…and us?”

“I suppose...” said Fireflight, not really sure what the engineer was going on about. “We were created though after the war began. And our sparks were in stasis a long time...until Prime found us and rebuilt us.”

“But even during the war there was noise. Now... now there's nothing. That static. That hum. The sound of life. Gone.”

Slingshot narrowed his optics at him. “Seriously, Wheeljack. You're loosing it.”

“I lost it vorns ago, thank you,” he huffed indignantly.

Silverbolt placed a hand atop Wheeljack's shoulder. “Don't mind him,” said the Aerialbot leader apologetically. “Let's just get to your lab, get what you need, and get out of here before Shockwave's drones find us.” He patted Wheeljack's plating supportively and continued in the direction they'd been heading.

As the Aerialbots moved on, Wheeljack looked around again at what had once been the greatest of the city-states, now reduced to a crumbling ruin along with the lives of all those who had lived in it. And this was just one of many such cities. Tears of sorrow began to form in his optics and he did not fight them. Instead he questioned the silence, questioned what they were fighting for.

And then he took a deep cycling vent and took a small towel from subspace. There was no time to mourn. They were here on a mission. There was work to be done. Wiping away the optic wash he followed after the others. 

-o-o-o-o-o-

“Can Me Snarl sit on sofa too?”

Surprised at the request, the twins looked up at the Dinobot standing there, his black helm tilted at an inquisitive angle. “Um, sure,” said Sideswipe, and he moved over a bit on the couch, allowing Snarl to join him and his brother.

“Me Snarl never try sofa before,” declared the big warrior, prodding the thick padding curiously.

The twins watched with some amusement as the usually reclusive Dinobot settled himself. Grapple had built several Cybertronian-sized sofas for the rec-room after Spike and Chip had brought one in for their use. They were surprisingly comfortable and tolerant of their varying body shapes.

“So, Snarl, what do you think of the sofa?” asked Sunstreaker after the Dinobot had relaxed a little.

“Sofa nice,” was the opinion. The way the second word was drawled out attested to the sincerity of the opinion.

“How come you've never tried one out before?”

“No sofa in Dinobot quarters.” And then he looked at the twins, the pair smirking back at him, a hint of a scowl on his face. “And Dinobots not so welcome in Autobot rec-room,” Snarl continued.

It was a well-known fact that the Earth-built branch didn't mix so well with the rest of the faction. The two looked at each other somewhat guiltily, which Snarl must have recognized, for he added “Him Grimlock not want us to come to rec-room either.”

This statement intrigued the pair. “Oh? So you're disobeying your team leader, just to try out the sofa?”

The silvery faceplate smiled. “Me Snarl not care today.”

The twins were hooked, and determined to join the rebellious Dinobot on his misadventures. “So, You Snarl want to watch television with us?”

“Okay. Me like television. We have in Dinobot quarters.” He looked again at the twins. “You two very nice to Me Snarl. Maybe because you two fighters like Me Snarl.”

“Oh, possibly,” agreed Sunstreaker. Really they'd just been amazed and intrigued to see a Dinobot in the rec-room.

“What would you like to watch?” Sideswipe asked, curious about what the Dinobots enjoyed for broadcast entertainment. “Sports? A movie? Cartoons? News? Though at 2:30 our soap opera comes on so you don't have a choice then.”

At that moment an alarm went off, followed by Red Alert's voice with a call to arms. There was a Decepticon disturbance near Spokane, Washington, and all available warriors were to head out.

“Well, no soap opera today,” Sunstreaker sighed. “Damn Decepticons. And Sheila was about to reveal her secret love to Gordon.”

-o-o-o-o-o-

Swoop braced himself. This was going to be bad.

Really bad.

He was plummeting to Earth, aflame, one wing shredded, with his propulsion systems locked.

At least his one working thruster was turned groundwards, slowing him slightly, which meant that when he met the ground he probably wouldn't offline permanently. But that would only be if he could keep himself balanced with his one good wing, which for now he was managing to do... barely.

It was times like this that he regretted being a flyer.

And suddenly there were hands upon him...huge white hands yanking him away from what might be months of repairs. “I've got you,” came Skyfire's smooth voice.

Swoop felt the shuttle's powerful engines fire harder and pull him into a new trajectory, and soon they were both on the ground. Inferno, having seen the Dinobot coming down in flames, was there to meet the pair. He quickly spewed fire-extinguishing foam onto them, stopping the flames, followed by a gush of water to cool their plating and wash the foam off. 

Ratchet now stepped forward and the mangled and dripping wet Pteranodon was gently placed into his hands.

“Oh Primus. The seekers got you good, didn't they?” was the medic's initial evaluation of Swoop's condition.

“Me Swoop hurt...” he moaned raspily.

“I know,” said Ratchet soothingly. “I'll do what I can to stop the pain.” He'd always had a weak spot for the smallest of the Dinobots, especially after Swoop had shown some interest in his work in the medibay

He lay the Dinobot down on a grassy patch of ground and began the initial repairs to keep him from bleeding out.

Skyfire lingered for a moment, his optics on the much smaller mech. “You got this Ratchet? I should return to the battle, but I can stay if you need.”

“I'm good. Thanks though.”

Skyfire dropped to one knee for a moment and placed his hand across Swoop's brow. “Hang in there, little flyer,” he said encouragingly before stepping away and taking to the sky again. Swoop wasn't that small, about Wheeljack's size, but next to the shuttle-former he seemed so. Of course Skyfire towered over the rest of the Autobots in the Ark.

-o-o-o-o-o-

In the medibay Swoop stared over at Wheeljack on the med-berth next to his. His creator had taken a hit in the battle near Spokane as well. The engineer was lying on his front while Hoist worked at removing the shattered sensor winglet from its mount. “Did it hurt a lot?” Swoop finally asked after watching his creator wince and hearing him grunt several times as the doctor worked.

“Probably as much as your busted wing hurt,” said Wheeljack, turning his head to look at him.

“Wings hurt so much.”

Hoist, listening in, gave a chuckle. “It's where most of the sensors end up in a flyer. For the rest of us they're usually they're in the head and chest.”

“We put yours into your wings and your beak when we built you. Those seemed the best places,” Wheeljack added.

The far-end door of the medibay opened and Skyfire came in, pausing to look about. When his eyes fell on Swoop, he walked right up and leaned over him. “How are you feeling now?” he asked, placing a hand onto Swoop's good arm. The other arm had taken damage along with the wing from the missile that had brought him down.

“Me Swoop feel better. Not perfect, but better.” The Dinobot shifted his arm, turning it so he could hold onto Skyfire's hand. “Thank you. You saved Me Swoop.”

“I would have done the same for anyone in that situation,” he said with a gentle smile.

The Dinobot flyer grinned. “Me Swoop attacked Soundwave and his cassettes. Seekers angry.”

“I saw. And I think you did more damage to them than they did to you. So I guess that means you won.”

Wheeljack was beaming from his berth. Not only had his creation done well in battle, but seeing Skyfire's concern for the fellow flyer's welfare was heartwarming. It was rare that one of the crew took an interest in the Dinobots.

“Any idea how long you'll be stuck here?” Skyfire asked.

“Me Swoop not know. Him Ratchet not say, but him busy. Me ask later.”

“He's always busy after a battle...we all are,” chuckled Hoist, and then he tapped his current patient. “You ready, Wheeljack? I think I've got everything properly disconnected so I'm going to pull your winglet off now.”

Wheeljack's hands went to the edges of the med-berth, gripping it securely. “Go ahead.”

Hoist called to Skyfire. “Would you mind holding him down so I have something to pull against? This thing's tighter than Prowl's smile.”

Skyfire obliged and went to the other berth and pressed down on the engineer's shoulders and aft. They all tensed as Hoist wrenched off the surprisingly sturdy sensor array. Even though it had been completely disconnected his frame fought to keep it. But with a jolt it came free eventually, leaving Wheeljack moaning and his cooling fans whirring angrily. He vented and sagged against the platform. “Thanks Hoist,” he said. He looked over at Swoop, who appeared to be trembling. His creator had lost a wing and now he would as well. Though Wheeljack's pair didn't have the same function, there was something of a closer kinship through having them.

“You all right?” Swoop asked nervously.

“I'm fine. And you'll be fine too.” Wheeljack gave Swoop a thumbs-up gesture.

Ratchet, having finished reattaching Cliffjumper's leg, and seeing Hoist's progress, came over to Wheeljack and patted him comfortingly on the hand.

“How long will Swoop be in here?” Skyfire asked the CMO.

Ratchet moved on to Swoop's berth and glanced over him. “Well he'll be fine to go as soon as that messy wing can be removed. But there's a bit of work needed on his arm...a couple hours worth or so. And until we have a new wing built for him...” He looked sadly at the Dinobot. “...he'll be walking.”

Swoop's expression fell. “At least it not hurt much now.”

“Or we can remove both wings and give him a jetpack,” Hoist suggested teasingly, giving a humorous second opinion to add a little levity to the situation.

Four out of the five mechs laughed. Swoop looked nervous.

“It's okay, Swoop. They won't take your other wing off if you don't want them too,” said Wheeljack reassuringly. Hoist was helping the engineer to his feet. “You and I can be lopsided together.

The Dinobot vented a sigh of relief.

Skyfire squeezed Swoop's hand and crouched down beside him. “If it gets too much for you, I'll take you flying. You can hold onto me.”

Wheeljack was stunned as Swoop by the larger mech's offer. “Skyfire, thank you. I know that means a lot to him,” the engineer said.

Swoop beamed up at the tall white mech, tears of gratitude in his optics. “Yes, thank you. You Skyfire really nice.”

Grimlock suddenly and unexpectedly appeared at the door of the medibay, in dinosaur mode, and charged over to his teammate, roaring questions and confronting the others. Skyfire quickly let go of Swoop's hand and departed. But as the shuttle left, Swoop cast a small glance in his direction, only to see the tall scientist smile back at him before leaving the medibay. 

Swoop's spark did an anxious spin of delight in its chamber. None of the others had ever smiled at him before, not like that. Did this mean they were friends? He'd never had a friend before. His teammates and his creator and his mentor didn't really count as friends. Something else had put them into proximity.

But Skyfire. The rescue was part of his duty as an Autobot. The fact that he'd come to check on him was unexpected. The offer to take him flying... that was above and beyond any requirement. And then that smile. He might not be an experienced mech, but even he saw the sweetness and caring in it.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"Sunset Dreams" continues in Chapter 2: Far is the Calling

-o-o-o-o-o-


	2. Far is the Calling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the work on Swoop's replacement wing continues, the relationship between the shuttle-former and the Dinobot deepens and sweetens.

-o-o-o-o-o-

When not shuttling Autobots about on various missions, Skyfire spent much of his free time in Wheeljack's laboratory working on Swoop's replacement wing. Wheeljack was naturally glad of the assistance and the company. It freed him to work on reconstructing his own broken wing, and it was nice to have the scientist about to talk to.

And he noticed that Swoop often came in to check on the progress of his wing, especially when Skyfire was present working on it. Apparently the two flyers had become friends after the incident, the large scientist becoming something of a big brother to the small Dinobot. But after a couple of weeks, the camaraderie seemed to involve a lot of innocent flirting. Wheeljack loved listening in on the two—it was like watching two sparklings discovering they liked each other. And as promised, Skyfire did take Swoop flying a couple of times so the Dinobot could enjoy the rush of air and the open expanses of blue sky. Swoop would cling to Skyfire's back just behind his cockpit.

But despite Swoop's infirmity, Grimlock didn't let him off the hook for sparring practice, which Skyfire sometimes came along to watch. Swoop's brothers went easy on his feelings, understanding he could no longer perform as an aerial combatant and a bombardier, at least until he was fully repaired. But at least Swoop could still fought on the ground in his robot mode, practicing with his sword and improving his grappling. Despite being only half of Grimlock's size and a third of Sludge's, he could still put up a good fight.

What surprised Skyfire was seeing Sunstreaker and Sideswipe there at the Dinobot sparring practices fairly often. While the twins had speed and skill and experience, the raw brute strength of the Dinobots could overpower them easily when caught off-guard. What surprised him even more was that after most sparring sessions, Snarl left with the twins. 

It was at the conclusion of one of these sparring sessions, as the Dinobots and the twins sat about sipping energon, that Swoop came over to Skyfire, who was sitting apart from them at the edge of the field. He offered a cube of energon to Skyfire, who took it and sipped from it, even though he had plenty of fuel in his tanks already. It was nice just to be thought of. Being still relatively new to the faction he was frequently overlooked by the bulk of the Autobot force. “Sideswipe-Sunstreaker say You Skyfire very old. Is that true?” His face expressed some surprise at the new information.

Skyfire laughed. “Me? Old? I am...sort of. I'm not the oldest here, but chronologically, I'm up there.”

“What chron...chrono...”

“Timewise,” Skyfire supplied.

“Sorry. Me still learning big words,” Swoop said slightly embarrassed.

Skyfire smiled. “You're young. It's expected.”

“You Skyfire not act old. Him Ironhide act old. You act...normal,” the Dinobot continued, peering at Skyfire as if seeing him for the first time.

“Yes, I'm old, but I didn't live all these years. Most of my existence, I was in stasis lock and I only reawakened just after you were built.”

“Stasis lock? You Skyfire sleeping?”

It was time for some history. Skyfire patted the ground next to him, and Swoop sat, curiosity on his face. The Dinobot had proved to be an eager learner with quite a few things before, and Skyfire had frequently stepped into the part of being his teacher and guide. While the martial role of the Dinobots had not been ignored, it seemed to him that a lot of other education had been neglected.

“Once, long ago, I was a scientist and an explorer with...” He paused. The name of his partner was probably best not mentioned in this story. He could reveal the old connection another time. “...with another scientist. We were sent out to set up remote scanning equipment on distant worlds and bring back initial data. But when we were separated in a bad polar storm on one of those planets—this one—I crashed and became trapped in the ice. I slept all the way from Cybertron's Golden Age until just after you were created. That's when I was found and the Autobots took me in.”

“That is a long time.”

“It was. Millions of years. So yes, I am old.”

“Me understand now.”

Skyfire took one more sip from the energon cube in his hands. “Thank you again for the fuel. I'll have the rest later.”

Swoop beamed up at him. “Dinobots always have plenty of energon. Always more than we need.”

Skyfire tucked the half-consumed cube into his subspace stash, where he stored fuel for long missions. “I'll have to come see you before I make my next trip,” he said, the storage space bringing it to mind.

The Dinobot's eyes brightened to a light blue. “Maybe sometime I can make a long trip with you. Me Swoop like to go places. See other things.”

“You do?” Skyfire was surprised by the revelation.

“Us Dinobots only see small part of Earth, and small part of Cybertron. You Skyfire see lots of places as shuttle and explorer.”

“I have. Well, perhaps sometime if you can get away, I could take you with me.”

There was that hopeful expression again. Skyfire looked deeply into Swoop's face, admiring Wheeljack's work for a moment. The engineer had an unappreciated and unexpected gift for aesthetics, and had nearly mastered the art of allowing a faceplate to convey emotion, something they'd copied from the organic races. He'd not thought about it much before, but the four Dinobots with full faceplates were all quite handsome.

“Me Swoop hope we can go somewhere when wing is fixed.” He looked back over his shoulder and wiggled the sad single spine jutting from his back on his right side, part of the mounting system that had surprisingly escaped damage.

“It won't be much longer,” said Skyfire confidently, rising to stand. “Look how much we've done already, and we even helped with some of the work on Wheeljack's wing too.”

“Creator Wheeljack broken like me.” He looked shyly up at the scientist, and then suddenly jumped to his feet and embraced him about the leg, resting his cheek against Skyfire's thigh plating. Their sizes weren't even close to similar, despite being a Dinobot. Swoop was of a standard size, not including his crest, putting him in-line with the average mech. The flame-like projection atop his head did at least make him appear a bit taller and definitely more impressive. “Thank you, friend,” he said sincerely.

-o-o-o-o-o-

As the replacement wing neared completion, Wheeljack tested the mounts against Swoop's frame and the stump-like spine to make sure the fit was perfect. Skyfire hung about watching. 

“I think we'll have you flying tomorrow,” Wheeljack announced, deciding he was satisfied with the connections.

“Thank you, Creator Wheeljack,” Swoop said gratefully. And then he turned to Skyfire, sitting on the floor nearby. “Thank you Skyfire. You helped a lot.”

The scientist smiled and nodded in acknowledgment. “If I'm not out playing taxi tomorrow, could I accompany you on your first flight?”

Swoop beamed. “Me Swoop would like that.”

“It would be good if he had an escort, just in case we missed or overlooked something,” Wheeljack agreed.

“Or if his new wing blows up,” Skyfire teased, knowing Wheeljack's half-deserved reputation.

“I think you made more of this wing than I did,” Wheeljack countered with a laugh. “So he should be perfectly safe from creator errors that severe.”

Skyfire chuckled as he stood up. “I'm sure everything will be just fine. We've taken our time and worked carefully on it. You know I'm just teasing.”

Wheeljack detached the connectors and took the piece back over to the workbench while Swoop literally skipped over to Skyfire and took his hand. “Me Swoop hope you not busy tomorrow.”

“I hope I'm not either. Oh hang on...comm' coming in from Optimus.”

Swoop stood by patiently while the larger mech listened. And then Skyfire's shoulders sagged. “Well that was timing,” he sighed. “I have to go. I'm needed. But I should be back by tomorrow.”

“If You Skyfire not back, Me Swoop wait to test new wing.”

Skyfire smiled, and then noticed the longing in the Dinobot's optics. He glanced over to where Wheeljack was hammering and grumbling at something on the wing, and seeing the engineer distracted, he quickly leaned in and placed a quick kiss on the other mech's lips. “I'll see you tomorrow,” he said as he rose and hurried away.

Swoop was left trying to find his equilibrium...it seemed his spark was whirling so hard in its chamber it was throwing him off-balance.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"Sunset Dreams" continues in chapter 3: "Waiting Adrift"

-o-o-o-o-o-


	3. Waiting Adrift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Swoop's joy over his return to the air suddenly leads to a mad dash into love and intimacy with his rescuer. Skyfire, surprised by the young mech's depth of thought, is only hesitant for a moment.

-o-o-o-o-o-

The 'first flight' was a momentous occasion for everyone involved. Swoop walked out of the Ark with his new wing in place, stretching and unfurling it and folding it back again, excited to be walking normally once more. Being lopsided had given him something of a strange gait, but now it was gone. The Dinobots were there to watch, as well as Ratchet, Wheeljack, Skyfire, and the twins.

Everyone thought of the twins and Snarl as a thing now. And while Grimlock kept a pretty tight leash on his fold, he allowed Snarl to spend time with them, but only if they spent time with the Dinobots as well. And they did, mostly for sparring, but for more social activities as well, such as watching television or consuming energon. Snarl in dinosaur mode, taking up two-thirds of a couch while either Sideswipe or Sunstreaker took up the other third became a regular sight in the rec-room.

Swoop transformed and took to the air, laughing and crying in delight as he tested his new wing. And when his confidence in the replacement grew, he dove and slalomed around the others, showing off his aerial acrobatic skills. He began doing what Carly had termed “the hummingbird dive,” in which he climbed up several hundred feet and then let himself plummet Earthwards before pulling up in a J-shaped swoop just above the heads of the observers, only to climb again and repeat the display.

After a while he touched down and announced that he was going to head out on a longer flight. A quick glance at Skyfire signaled a private hope, and then he took off again, heading fast and hard out of the area.

Skyfire watched him fly away, before turning to Wheeljack and Ratchet. “I'll keep an optic out for him.” He transformed and took off after Swoop, eagerly following the tiny signature on his radar.

-o-o-o-o-o-

For hours they flew together through quiet skies, sometimes above the clouds... sometimes below... sometimes through. They played tag through the wind and hide-and-seek in the summer cumulus. “Me Swoop whole again,” the Dinobot called as they danced together through a layer of cirrus, ruffling it with their passing.

Skyfire could only smile at the unbridled joy on the smaller flyer's face. He'd not been grounded that long, but the grounding had been a frustration as it would to any flyer.

As the sun began to set, they descended to a flattish mountain-top in the middle of nowhere to refuel. A map would argue that it was not the middle of nowhere, but somewhere in south-central Nevada, north of Las Vegas. Skyfire slipped two energon cubes from a pocket and handed one to Swoop, who took it and drank it all quickly. “Thank you,” he said with his slightly raspy voice. And then he looked intently at Skyfire. “Thank you for everything.”

Skyfire returned the smile and drank the rest of his cube.

Swoop walked over to the edge of the mountain-top, where a cliff came up to meet the grassy area that sloped away much more gently. He sat down, dangling his legs over the rocky edge, leaning back onto his arms.

Skyfire joined him, sitting next to him and placing a hand atop his, which made Swoop look over at him. The expression was not surprise, but delight.

And then Skyfire looked away shyly, afraid of frightening away the Dinobot by moving too quickly. He'd been daring enough with yesterday's kiss, but the moment then had seemed right. “It's beautiful here, isn't it,” he said noncommittally as he extended his other hand toward the panorama before them. “It's not Cybertron, but it's lovely.” The broad expanses of the Nevada desert spread around them. In the west, the sun lingered above the horizon, turning the clouds pink and tangerine in a magnificent display of nature's beauty.

Skyfire's hand curled tightly over Swoop's and held it in silence. But as the sun's wavering orange orb touched the distant horizon, the larger mech pulled the smaller against his side.

Swoop stared up at Skyfire, passion filling his spark, and he smiled at the larger flyer admiringly. No. It wasn't admiration this time. And it wasn't gratitude. This time...this time it felt different. There was something else in it. There was longing, and yearning. He wanted the scientist to never let go of his hand. He wanted to be there beside him always—at his back in battle, at his side in the laboratory, against his chest when he recharged. That tiny kiss on his lip components yesterday had burned for hours and even now he could imagine it there, still burning.

Swoop shuddered when he realized the name for the feeling was 'love.' Dinobots didn't love, at least not romantically, not in the way he felt right now for Skyfire.

Skyfire noticed the shudder and looked down at the Dinobot. “Are you all right, little flyer?”

“Me Swoop think so,” he said softly. “Sunset pretty. Make me feel...” He was unable to finish.

“Feel what?” the scientist prodded.

“Feel...” Again he stalled. “Sunset means night is coming. But sometimes, I think now is the night, and we are looking at the sunrise. The sunrise means that hope is coming. Sunset and sunrise...maybe the same.”

Skyfire was stunned. The Dinobot was speaking poetically and metaphorically and emotionally. So much for that lingering stigma of “simple brains.” Children wouldn't be pulling together so much abstract thought like this. And now the little blue optics were looking up at him again, an expression of wanting in them.

Chancing it, Skyfire pulled the smaller mech into his lap, Swoop's back to the sunset, his thighs straddling Skyfire's legs. “Swoop? You find the sunset beautiful?” he asked.

Swoop leaned forward, surprisingly strong fingers curling for grip into the gaps between Skyfire's chest intakes and his underarm area. “Sunrise is beautiful. Sunset is also beautiful, and for dreaming. The night comes, but then the sunrise follows.”

“Dreaming? Of what?”

“Of things to come after the sunrise.”

Skyfire tossed his calculated caution to the wind and leaned forward, touching his forehead to Swoop's. His glowing optics did not waver, and his voice was calm as he bared a sliver of his spark. “I have been dreaming of you,” he dared to say.

“You Skyfire think of me?”

“You're the colors of the sunset—the colors of dreaming.”

Swoop was stunned. Could it be possible that the ancient mech was feeling the same longing? “Me Swoop want to kiss you,” he said slowly, a hope in his tremulous voice. The young mech's optics were burning with a desire for contact—the unmistakable look of love.

Skyfire placed a large white hand to the side of the Dinobot's head, his other hand pulling the smaller frame closer. Gently he tilted the innocent face upward and kissed him, pressing his lips against Swoop's. He didn't even realize that his cooling fans had started up, not until he heard them when listening for a response from the smaller mech.

And the response came...a tiny whimper of pleasure escaping the Dinobot's vocalizer, something between a purr and a chirp. It was very encouraging.

Skyfire sighed. So long he had lain asleep in the ice, the forced stasis of starvation keeping him inactive for uncounted vorns. It had been a shock to wake up and find how much time had passed...to find that so much had changed...to find that his partner and lover was no longer the same mech he had once delighted in. That had been the hardest thing to bear, harder than the lost time, harder than the war—to wake up and find that their bond was gone.

How many nights had he lain awake in his unfamiliar and cold berth aboard the Ark, feeling the knife of separation cut the aura from his spark again and again? He'd hidden his pain from the others. What was a little heartbreak compared to the losses they'd suffered fighting the war? At least he'd not been there to watch Cybertron turn from a glorious golden planet into dark, silent wastelands.

But now, here in the rapidly fading light was the adoring gaze and warm kiss of another flyer, a creature who had existed only in the blink of an eye compared to him. He admired the smooth, youthful face Wheeljack had bestowed. But that longing expression and the parted lips had nothing to do with Wheeljack's artistry. Skyfire shifted his hand and traced the silver lips with a white fingertip. “Swoop, what are your dreams now? Your wishes?”

The Dinobot's vents hitched, and his optics darkened as he shyly turned his head away. He watched as the rippling edge of the sun disappeared behind the horizon, a sudden green flash filling the sky. And then he turned back. “Me Swoop love You Skyfire. Me Swoop want to never leave you,” he admitted. “You Skyfire so nice. So good.” And then he looked away bashfully. “But me understand if you not feel the same. Dinobots hard to love.”

Skyfire took the little flyer's head again in his hand, turning it back to face him. “Swoop, I do feel the same.”

“Yes?” Swoop asked hopefully, needing reassurance.

“I have ever since that day of the battle, when you were shot down and I grabbed you and kept you from crashing. It's like I finally noticed you. You've been in my thoughts every day since then...and my dreams.”

“Really?”

Skyfire nodded.

“Even though Me Swoop Dinobot?”

He nodded again. “I think that you are very easy to love.”

Feeling his spark leap, Swoop impulsively stretched upwards and forced his lips against Skyfire's, kissing him again, only without the shy testing and self-imposed limits of before. The timidity had been replaced by enthusiasm.

Skyfire stood, lifting Swoop with him as he rose, and moved away from the cliff's edge. He gracefully carried the Dinobot to a sandy, grassy area and lay him down gently, and then reclined on his side next to him, slightly leaning over the smaller frame.

Swoop's hand came up and traced the horizontal blades of Skyfire's chest intakes as the scientist kissed him again. He'd never felt a wanting like this before—not for his Dinobot brothers, nor for his creators. And right now he could feel the spark inside of him reaching out for Skyfire, echoing the yearning he felt in his processor. Unable to hold it back any longer, his EM field swelled to envelop the other mech in a loving tingle.

Skyfire smiled. “I feel that,” he whispered in his companion's ear.

Swoop made the same purring-chirping sound as before.

Skyfire allowed his own field to expand, the spark in his chest swelling and pulsing in a wave of desire as his fingers toyed with the seams along the sides of his alt-mode's beak, folded deeply into his chest. He moved slowly, taking his time, waiting for another response from Swoop, which came as a soft purring from inside the Dinobot's throat and a nervous writhing of his hips and legs, as if Skyfire's touch were pinning him to the sandy ground while he tried to rise.

And then Skyfire caught himself. Swoop was so very young...so very innocent. Yes his creators had built him into an adult form, but he'd only been alive a handful of meta-cycles. Did Swoop even know or understand the intimate processes of his own kind?

Swoop noticed the hesitation. “Why You Skyfire stop?” he asked, his optics, turned off to focus on the larger mech's sensuous touch, coming back online.

“You're...young. I...I didn't want to go too far and frighten you,” he confessed. It had never been this way with Starscream. In fact it had been much the opposite—the seeker had never been remotely shy or innocent or nervous about anything. Demanding and uninhibited were better terms to describe Starscream with.

A smile of mirth rather than pleasure suddenly broke over Swoop's face. “Me Swoop understand,” he said with a soft chuckle. “Me young, but not so innocent. Me know about spark-love. Know about interfacing.” He reached up and placed a hand on Skyfire's heated faceplate, and could feel the larger mech's spark pulse at the touch. “Creators explain it to us. Explain adult frames to us Dinobots.”

Skyfire felt much relieved. If things went further, it wouldn't be into hopelessly new territory for the young mech.

“So You Skyfire want to interface? Interface with Me Swoop?” His optics burned brightly...hopefully.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"Sunset Dreams" continues in Chapter 4: "Drown in Pale Light"

-o-o-o-o-o-


	4. Drown in Pale Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Swoop--young, eager, and hopelessly enamored of his first love interest--gives himself to Skyfire.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Skyfire's cooling system involuntarily drew in a deep breath of air. He'd not expected his companion to be so bold in the asking. “I would like to very much...if you would like to as well. We don't have to though.” His fingers slid up to caress the Dinobot's throat and then the side of his head, mirroring the touch against his own helm. “We'll have plenty of other opportunities if now isn't good.” Their relationship had moved so surprisingly quickly, and slowing it down wouldn't hurt in the least. For creatures that lived millions of years, there was no reason to rush anything. Before the war courtships often stretched over hundreds of years if not thousands.

Swoop smiled sweetly. “Me Swoop have new wing. Have new lover—first lover. Now is good.”

“First lover?” Skyfire queried. “I suppose I would be. Though I would have expected that your first would be one of the other Dinobots.”

Swoop shut off his optics and shook his head slightly. “No. Dinobots make war. Not love.”

“Haven't you interfaced with any of them? Since it was explained to you?” he asked. There had been a touch of sadness and perhaps regret in the young mech's voice.

Again a negative response. “Him Grimlock try with other Dinobots after Creators explained. Him try Sludge first.” Suddenly the young flyer shuddered and his hand fell away. “Me Swoop disappointment,” he said ashamedly.

“A disappointment? Why?”

“Him Grimlock not find my spark. Spark too deep.” He sighed sadly. “Maybe you not find it either.”

Skyfire cocked his head. Surely the engineer hadn't made the chamber inaccessible. “Did you ask Wheeljack about it?” he asked with all concern.

Swoop nodded. “Creator Wheeljack laughed. Him say Swoop special. Only for special lover who understands 'dorsal access' .”

“Dorsal access?” Skyfire paused, and then he chuckled. “Ahhh. Well I guess that makes me special then.”

“You Skyfire understand?” Again Swoop's expression was hopeful.

The scientist gave him a gentle smile. “Would you let me show you what Grimlock didn't figure out?”

Eagerly Swoop nodded, and allowed the larger mech to roll him onto his front. Skyfire crouched beside him and ran his hand over the Dinobot's back. “Wheeljack put a lot of thought into your construction. You are special,” he said encouragingly as he examined the plating on Swoop's back. “He expected you'd be more subject to hits from the ground when you were flying, and that your beak would probably be in the way of your spark in your robot mode.” His fingers brushed against a series of plating catches. “I think I've found what I'm looking for...”

There came a snap and a light hydraulic hiss as Skyfire opened the main access plate on Swoop's back and then slid away the subplate. “And there it is.” He spread his hand atop the newly exposed wires connecting the Dinobot's spark-chamber to the rest of his body. An excited wave of energy rushed up Skyfire's arm. 

“My spark. You found it!?”

“Wheeljack placed your spark chamber back here, wanting to protect it better.”

“Me Swoop cannot see it. Only feel.”

“It's here...and it's beautiful.”

Swoop raised himself slightly on one arm and turned his head toward the white jet. “Please? Please interface with me?”

Skyfire smiled again. “I will. But not like this.” Gently he closed up the panels on Swoop's back, which confused the smaller mech, but Skyfire hushed any words. Swoop was probably eager to prove himself after Grimlock's lack of success. Taking the smaller Dinobot's hand, Skyfire led him over to a large rock, sat down, spread his knees apart, and pulled Swoop between his legs. He kissed him again, stroking Swoop's face and neck tenderly. His fingers trailed up and down the sensitive golden beak once more. In response Swoop's lips wandered over every bit of facial plating he could reach, tiny whimpers of excitement and urgency upon them.

“Are you ready?” Skyfire asked when his kissing slowed. It was obvious Swoop was ready, but he'd wanted to give the Dinobot enough time to back out if he suddenly decided the moment wasn't right.

Swoop nodded enthusiastically, eager to be educated on yet something else by his new teacher. He wanted it...badly. The building friendship, the jubilant 'first flight,' and now this romantic evening had charged him up unbearably. After Grimlock's failure, none of his brothers had wanted to try interfacing with him and he'd been left out of the intimacy, the best he could do being to curl up against two of them, all but ignored, as they indulged. And lately it had been only Grimlock and Sludge as partners. But now this older, experienced mech seemed to know exactly how to take care of him. He'd easily found the supposedly hidden spark with just the mention of Wheeljack's clue. And he seemed to have changed positions confidently, knowing exactly how to proceed.

Skyfire reached down and slid away the canopy of his cockpit, two more layers of plating beneath it skidding back to expose a large spark-chamber, easily thrice the size of Swoop's. Through the window in the front a blue light seeped out. Swoop raised his hands and placed them delicately against the chamber, in awe of the cerulean glow that appeared even brighter in the twilight.

Swoop stretched up and leaned closer to it, deep in admiration of the beautiful soul that called to him. He could feel the energy-patterns embracing his own with ghostly hands, trying to pull him deeper. Apparently they were both experiencing the same craving...the same desperate hunger for intimate contact. Were it physically possible, Swoop would have obeyed that call and simply allowed himself to follow that tug, to be consumed like a moth in the mesmerizing flame. 

After a few more minutes, Skyfire gently pushed him back and closed his legs. “Sit on my lap with your back to me,” he instructed. “This will work best for our sizes and your dorsal mount.” 

Swoop understood immediately and eagerly climbed onto Skyfire's thighs.

Knowing where the catches were now, Skyfire opened up Swoop's plating quickly, exposing the chamber once more. Immediately the spark's field flared out, reaching yet again for the other mech.

Swoop braced his hands on Skyfire's knees, whimpering now as large but careful fingers trailed over the bare wires and fluid lines in his back, stimulating them with the caught corona of both sparks. The stroking felt so good...so amazingly good. Even when Grimlock had attempted to interface with him, there hadn't been this wonderful shared touch or yearning. The scientist had him nearly crying out with pleasure as all the while he could feel the pull of the two sparks, contained regretfully in their chambers, tugging at each other.

Soon Skyfire carefully pulled Swoop back toward him. But before their frames met, Skyfire's fingers were poking about the chamber, and for a moment Swoop wondered if the larger mech was about to open it. Ratchet had given strict warnings about it—the chamber was not to be opened unless a medic did so. Thrill and horror coursed through Swoop's processor, the conflicting feelings making his EM surge all too erratically. He wanted desperately to open it, but knew he shouldn't. That would bring them too close, wouldn't it? But to his relief, Skyfire was just seeking out the interface cable, tucked in an out of the way spot to the side of the chamber. With the utmost care he withdrew it and plugged it into the corresponding port on his own chamber.

An intrusion warning suddenly flashed up in Swoop's processor, this one with more priority than the basic overheating threats he'd been getting ever since the touching and kissing had begun. His hands gripped Skyfire's thighs all the tighter. This was it. It was finally going to happen for him.

Skyfire confidently extracted his own interface cable and brought it to the welcoming port inside of his lover. “Are you ready? The connection will be complete as soon as I plug in.”

“I...I want you,” Swoop gasped.

“I?” Skyfire made a low sound of approval and pushed the end of the cable into the port.

They both shivered as the hardline connection opened between them, the two of them linking up beautifully in an initial blur of sensations. Skyfire moaned as he felt warmth and love flood across the bond. The emotions coming in were nothing but desire and excitement and gratitude, all tinged with a bit of nervousness. He grasped the smaller bot, pulling him against his frame with trembling arms. His spark spun in a whirlwind of joy, emitting heavy pulses of energy that increased gradually in intensity.

Then he reached up, gripped the long, bright red crest atop Swoop's head, and pulled it back over his shoulder, effectively exposing the smaller mech's throat to his lips. Skyfire hungrily mouthed Swoop's neck, nibbling and nuzzling the few exposed cables there, the caresses heightening their pleasure and eliciting more whimpers from Swoop.

And then came the sound of five high-tension latches snapping open in sequence and the whir of withdrawing panels. Five latches? Skyfire inhaled sharply. Traditionally five latches closed a spark-chamber. And they weren't his latches that had sprung.

Before he could even look to see if it was indeed Swoop's spark-chamber he felt it. The surge of heat and radiation against his interior was overwhelming and he fought to maintain equilibrium. An intoxicating dizziness filled his processors. Warm light rose as Swoop's unfettered soul emerged and began to move toward his own, its tendrils extending ahead of it to grasp at his spark chamber, demanding that it open. “Swoop!” Skyfire choked. “Your spark-chamber opened.”

“Couldn't stop it! It just did,” the Dinobot bleated, his frightened voice awash with emotion. “But it seemed like what me supposed to do. Even though Ratchet said not to.” The smaller mech began to squirm nervously, apparently terrified by what had just happened. “Skyfire! Help me!”

Skyfire held him tightly to keep the connection from breaking. Quickly he sent calming thoughts across the link and stroked Swoop's beak with long, soothing passes, forcing himself to concentrate on relaxing him. “Shhh...just stay calm and don't worry about it. Just relax. It's open now so just enjoy it.”

“My spark...it's free,” Swoop responded tremulously.

“Yes...shhhh. It's all right,” Skyfire whispered soothingly, placing one hand onto the Dinobot's forehead and guiding the long crest back over his shoulder again. He sent feelings of quietude over the bond. “It's just fine. Nothing bad's going to happen just because it opened. I've got you.”

The Dinobot gradually calmed, the anxiety draining away beneath the warmth and gentle kisses the scientist continued with. Skyfire sent more feelings of closeness over the connection, his stroking continuing down the Dinobot's beak. “Shhh...I've got you. Everything's okay.”

Eventually relaxed, Swoop pushed back against Skyfire's chest as if somehow they could become even closer. His spark began moving again for Skyfire's. “Skyfire... since it okay, would you open to me? Let me feel your spark touch mine? Please...” he begged.

Where had this come from? It was their first interface, and despite the shock at the opening of his spark chamber, the Dinobot was now asking for a full merge. It was bad enough that Swoop had opened the chamber, and as much Skyfire he wanted to, he wasn't sure if inexperienced Swoop was ready to handle the intensity of their sparks coming into full contact with each other. Starscream had not opened to him for nearly a vorn after they'd begun interfacing.

“Skyfire...please,” cried the raspy voice. “Please open. You have to.” Swoop was looking up at him again with darkened optics. “Skyfire...”

The scientist tried to shut his ears to the pleading, but all the warnings and cautions and admonitions were melting away now in the heat of that beautiful and unbound golden spark. Through the narrow gap where their plating did not meet he could see it shining like a miniature star knocking at the gate of his own soul.

“Skyfire...please.”

The white jet braced himself. That voice could destroy him.

“I love you, Skyfire...” The same sentiments flooded over the hardline.

Unable to resist any longer, Skyfire surrendered. Five more latches burst open and with a wail of passion the jailed blue spark leapt forth and flung itself into Swoop's.

Swoop cried out. It was suddenly impossible for him to concentrate on anything besides the intense emotions swamping his processor and the sensations overwhelming his sensors. He swam in a bliss of warmth and touch. Skyfire's intakes had reversed and were now venting steaming air against his back and hips. With tears of ecstasy seeping from his optics, he pressed himself even harder against his lover. “Skyfire...I think... Going to... to... overload...” Swoop gasped brokenly, his voice crackling with static.

“Let it come,” was the unhesitating instruction. They'd gone so far and burned too many bridges to stop now. “Don't resist it.” The jet's hands turned their attentions to Swoop's wings, wrapping up from beneath them to caress their front edges and folds.

The Dinobot's cooling fans were no longer keeping up with his risen and still rising core temperature, and his processors were all threatening to shut down. Swoop let his head fall forward as he felt his defenses crumble before the oncoming wave of bliss. The edges of his wings throbbed with electricity beneath the confident grasp of the larger mech's hands. The intimacy of being inside and outside and within the mech he loved, their two sparks waltzing together in the space inbetween, was beyond any pleasure he'd experienced before. “Skyfire... I...”

“Let go, Swoop. Let it take you where it wants to.”

“Skyfire... I love you.”

The Dinobot's sensor net suddenly overloaded, electrical current arcing between their sparks and the empty chambers and every point of contact. The surge instantly spread over Skyfire and he was washed along with it. The darkness of the fallen night was suddenly lost in a supernova of light and pleasure as systems were pushed past their tolerances, only for both mechs to fall from that light into the velvety pool of a most blissful state.

-o-o-o-o-o-

When Swoop on-lined once more, he found himself sprawled atop Skyfire's chest, the big white shuttle lying now where he had previously been sitting. The waning moon had risen in the east. Their sparks had returned to their respective chambers and automatically closed up, but he found that they were still connected through the hardline. Skyfire was still unconscious. Swoop switched off his optics, turning his focus, and floated through the dark limbo of the connection, seeking the flyer inside. And he soon found Skyfire's being, hiding playfully behind a firewall, which Skyfire immediately and welcomingly dropped. The azure light of his spark embraced the golden light of Swoop's.

“That...was wonderful,” Swoop said appreciatively, still in awe of the experience they'd shared.

“Your first time. I'm sorry that you were a bit frightened there for a while. Sometimes things don't go as expected. But all is well.”

“It's all right. I'm not frightened any more. I know you'll look after me.” And then he reached out to Skyfire. “I'm sorry if I overloaded too early...I was overwhelmed,” he said bashfully.

Skyfire laughed lightly. “You were beautiful. Everything about you is beautiful.”

“Skyfire?” he asked humbly.

“Yes my love?” The blue light drew closer.

“What color is my spark? I've never seen it, and no one ever told me. Grimlock's is red, and Sludge's is pink. My other two brothers have soft-green sparks.”

Skyfire enveloped him protectively in an aurora of passion and devotion. “It's the most beautiful color of all...the color of the sunrise here on Earth.”

-o-o-o-o-o-

"Sunset Dreams" continues in Chapter 5: "Sign Your Name"

-o-o-o-o-o-


	5. Sign Your Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Swoop accompanies his bondmate on a mission to Lesath 3, where he meets femmes for the first time and learns that Decepticons and Autobots don't always meet on the battlefield.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Swoop and Skyfire were in love. Unquestionably so.

Ever since the day Swoop had returned to the skies, the two had considered themselves an exclusive couple. Their duties kept them apart most of the time, but when together, every minute was treasured. The normally quiet, calculating scientist was now all lightness and laughter in the presence of the Dinobot. And Swoop was learning grace and the art of conversation from his devoted place at the larger mech's side. Their bond had turned the day after day of the war's monotony into a string of precious moments, where each message was a delight, each glimpse was a promise, and each touch a golden sunrise. 

The other Autobots all looked on disgustedly at the pair's quiet romantic cooing and sweet conversations, the two most often being seen together in a corner of the rec-room or at the edge of the Dinobots' sparring ground. But for all the disgust, there was just as much jealousy. How were the two able to defy the deep sorrow of the war and carry on like two young lovers in the midst of the Golden Age? And how come they were the fortunate ones to have found each other? The ice-bound shuttle who'd been asleep for most of the war and one of Wheeljack's slightly-successful experiments in paleontology?

Grimlock was not impressed by Swoop's choice—all that potential for battle and it had been wasted on a pacifist scientist working primarily as a taxi. He at least tolerated it and tried not to nag Swoop about the boring mate he'd chosen. And mostly that was because Snarl had more than made up for it by snagging two of the most formidable warriors outside of the Dinobots for his new best friends.

On the other hand, Ratchet and Wheeljack were thrilled with the pairing. While they both felt that Swoop was much too young for a serious love affair, the gentle flyer made an excellent match despite the obvious age and size differences. He would be kind and nurturing and particularly patient with Swoop's inexperience. Equally opposite of Grimlock, they were much less pleased about the twins' involvement with Snarl. Yes, the three were much alike when it came to fighting Decepticons, but inside, Snarl was still very timid and inexperienced, and definitely naive. Ratchet in particular worried about the twins taking advantage of the quiet Dinobot. But for now, the two had been good to Snarl and had not dragged him into any sort of trouble. For now.

-o-o-o-o-o-

The opportunity to take Swoop on a longer trip came a month after Swoop's return to the air. Skyfire had been scheduled to pick up a shipment of weapons on Lesath 3 and he managed to arrange all of the various approvals necessary to take Swoop along with him. Even Grimlock allowed him to go. Swoop himself was nervous and somewhat hesitant at first, having never been away from his Dinobot brothers for more than a few days. But his desire to see more of his universe and the promise of three weeks at his beloved's side was more than enough to sway him into going along.

There was an initial humorous moment when Skyfire escaped the reach of Earth's gravity and Swoop found himself floating about Skyfire's passenger cabin. “I'm flying, but I'm not flying,” said the confused Dinobot as he drifted weightlessly. Skyfire did his best to explain gravity and mass to his passenger. Soon after, they rendezvoused with Cosmos in his near perpetual orbit of Earth, dropping off a load of fuel and taking the backup copies of the data files Cosmos had been accumulating. Swoop had never personally met the saucer-former and was much intrigued when the little green mech came aboard.

“I hear you two are a couple now,” said Cosmos as he went for the energon hold and began transferring the cubes to his own subspace compartments.

“We are,” beamed Swoop happily.

Cosmos kept one cube out and began drinking from it to fuel in the more social fashion. “Well congratulations. It's always nice to hear of new couples.” And then he chuckled. “When this war is over, I'm going to get myself reformatted for planet-side work. Hopefully then I'll get to meet someone too. How many millions of years have I been working alone?”

“All alone?” Swoop asked.

“Well, unless you want to count Skyfire's bi-monthly visits. And I see Blast-Off more often than I'd like to.” He shuddered. “But we ignore each other... thankfully.”

After chatting a bit longer, Cosmos said his goodbyes and returned to his orbit. Skyfire set their course and he and Swoop settled in for the nine-day journey to Lesath 3. Most of the flight would be spent in deep recharge for both—Skyfire's systems being designed to carry him onward, conscious or not.

-o-o-o-o-o-

On Lesath 3, they found that their connecting delivery had not yet arrived, so they unloaded their shipment of energon and minerals into the Autobot hangar kept there. “It's not a big deal,” explained Skyfire to Swoop. We just sleep in the hangar and relax until Payload shows up. And I know the perfect place to hang out.”

It wasn't long before the two of them were walking into a building on the margin of where the spaceport landing area ended and the settlement began. A glittering sign above the door read “Starlight's Taxi Bar and Oil House” in three languages...one of which was Cybertronian.

“Oil house?” Swoop inquired.

“It means they serve our kind,” Skyfire explained and led the way to a table not too far from the entrance corridor. “In the opinion of most space-farers, this place is the only redeeming feature of the Lesathian solar system,” he continued, handing a menu to Swoop. “It's run by a Cybertronian refugee named Starlight. She used to be a singer, a really well-known one on Cybertron. But... well.. things didn't work out with the war and all.”

“Her? She's a femme?”

“Yep, and so's Payload. Oh, that's right. You've never met a femme before.”

“Creator Wheeljack has a picture of one. And I saw an image of Elita One.”

“Well just wait until you meet Starlight. She's prettier than any picture.”

Swoop smiled with anticipation. He liked Carly the human a lot, who was halfway to being a femme. This was turning out to be such a nice trip. He looked down at the menu again, but it still made no sense to him, so he simply set it back down on the table. Shortly a Skuxxoid waitress came over and Skyfire ordered two servings of high-grade. Only the waitress did not bring them. Instead a slender blue-white femme with glittering plating brought them on a tray and sat down in the chair across from Skyfire. “I thought I saw you come in,” she said sweetly. “I'd recognize that handsome faceplate of yours anywhere.”

“You're as charming as ever, Starlight,” Skyfire smiled back.

Swoop stared. Skyfire was right. She was prettier than any picture. And she sparkled from head to toe, both from the glittery paint over her plating and the diamond-like gems set into the edges of it. The areas between her brow ridge and the top of her optics had been painted deep pink, as had her lips. And when she noticed Swoop staring, she gave him a little smile. “And what's your name, cutie?” She leaned forward slightly, placing her hand on the table in front of him.

Swoop looked at the hand, wondering why she'd put it there. “My name Swoop... I mean... I am Swoop, a Dinobot.”

“Oh?” Her optics flicked over the Autobot insignia on his chest and then returned to his wide, innocent gaze.

“Swoop's an adult-build that our engineer put together a few meta-cycles ago. This is his first time away from home, so to speak. So don't mind if he's a little awkward,” Skyfire explained.

Starlight smiled, her scintillating paint and gemstones catching the light with every movement she made. “Hello Swoop. Nice to meet you.” Realizing that he had no clue what to do with her hand, she took his and gave it a warm little squeeze.

“Nice to meet you too. Me... er... I have never met a femme before.”

“Oh, charming! Well don't worry, Swoop. I won't hurt you,” Starlight said.

Swoop suddenly pulled back and looked to Skyfire for help. “Is she dangerous?” he whispered.

The two others burst out laughing. “I'm not dangerous,” Starlight tittered and smiled sweetly at the Dinobot, and then knowingly at Skyfire. “So Skyfire, what brings you here?” she asked.

“Same old-same old. Gotta make an arms pickup from Payload.”

“Nice. I haven't seen Payload for some time.”

“I'm sure she'll be in soon enough. So that, and taking out Swoop here to see a bit more of the skies.”

“So I guess I'll be seeing you around until Payload appears.”

“Will you be singing tonight?” Skyfire asked eagerly.

“Of course,” she answered with a flirtatious wave of her hand. “A girl's gotta do something to amuse herself around here. Lesath 3 isn't exactly Iacon.”

-o-o-o-o-o-

Skyfire and Swoop spent the next several hours at their table, slowly sipping high-grade with Starlight and watching patrons come and go. Starlight was stunned to learn that the shuttle and the oddly-shaped flyer had bonded, and she soon took a liking to the smaller mech. As the sun began to set, Starlight began to warm up for her nightly performance, checking the equipment at her little stage at the center of the bar and running through some music. When satisfied, she came back to their table again and led Swoop away, escorting him into the middle of the open area between the tables. Puzzled at first, Skyfire soon realized that the proprietress was giving the Dinobot a dancing lesson. And he watched delightedly as she led Swoop through several Vosian minuets and waltzes—dances that suited a winged build.

“So what's a scientist like you doing on Lesath 3? And in a joint like this?” asked a voice just behind Skyfire. Turning, he watched as a large white shuttleformer with an Autobot insignia on her chest pulled out the chair next to him and sat.

“Payload! Great to see you,” Skyfire said happily, putting one hand on her arm.

She leaned toward him, putting a finger to her lips. “Shhh... we've not landed yet. Not for another ten cycles.”

“Oh?” He tilted his head inquiringly.

“Throth's up the street getting his 'organic needs' met...on company time.”

Skyfire chuckled. “You're far too generous with him.”

“I'm a lousy boss. What can I say?” She waved to the reptilian waitress and pointed at the high-grade in Skyfire's hand, and soon she had one of her own. Payload did have an interesting work arrangement. She provided the transport for the weapons manufacturer to their Autobot clients, though they sent along their own 'pilot' to 'handle the paperwork.' “Who's that little redhead? He with you?” she asked, gesturing at Swoop and Starlight.

Skyfire chuckled at hearing Swoop called that. “I'll have you know, that 'little redhead' is my sparkmate.”

Payload's blue optics brightened to nearly white, and then she looked at Swoop again, and then smiled broadly. “Well congratulations! Who is he? And whatever is his alt-mode?”

“Swoop is one of Wheeljack and Ratchet's creations. A few meta-cycles ago they got it into their processors to build some new frontliners for us, and so built a team of five based upon these ancient reptilian creatures that used to inhabit Earth. Swoop's alt-mode is a sort of flying reptile-bird thing called a Pteranodon. Apparently they had some newsparks in stasis, which they put into them.”

“A newspark...and a few meta-cycles?” Payload narrowed her optics at Skyfire. “Isn't that a bit young for you? Stasis-lock or not?”

Skyfire sighed. “I know. It is. It just sort of happened. I saved the little guy's life when he took a crippling hit in a battle one day. It just sort of went from there.”

It was Payload's time to sigh. “What this war has done to us? Sending newsparks into battle like seasoned warriors. Things must be rougher on Earth than I realized.”

“It's Megatron we're fighting there, and the best of what he's got left. I think there was something of a desperation in the decision to put newsparks into adult frames.”

“Well if he's old enough to fight I guess he's old enough to know what love is.”

“And he's a good fighter too. He's never had any qualms about facing the seekers.”

“Seekers? Oh goodness. And no qualms about dancing with Starlight either. That takes some bravery. Most mechs are too shy to even talk to her.” They laughed and Payload raised her glass. “So here's to you and your brave little mate.”

They drank, and then Skyfire called Swoop over and introduced him. “Swoop, this is Payload. She'll have our shipment for us tomorrow.”

Swoop looked at the new occupant of their table, and then at Skyfire, and then at Payload again. “She looks like you,” he decided. “But bigger.”

“Yep. Same frame type, though a younger model. For a while they were building us shuttle-formers quite large.”

“Me... ah... I'm happy to meet you.” He still fought his use of the Dinobot dialect. Skyfire had been working with him to move beyond it.

“Nice to meet you too, Swoop,” smiled Payload, giving the Dinbot a nod.

And then Swoop excitedly grasped Skyfire's arm between his hands. “I'm learning to dance. Starlight is teaching me and I think I'm understanding it.”

“So much for that Dinobot clumsiness they say you all have. Grimlock will have nothing on your finesse once we return home.” He reached up and patted Swoop's cheek tenderly.

“So we will leave tomorrow?”

“Yep.”

“Good! I have more time to practice!” Swoop trotted back over to Starlight, took her hands, and they resumed the lesson.

“He's adorable!” Payload gushed.

“Isn't he?”

“So tell me how you got together. What happened in that battle?”

Skyfire turned his chair a little more toward Payload's. He told the story of the fateful day, when the seekers had taken Swoop out mid-air and he'd been going down in flames in retaliation for Swoop having bombed Soundwave. “He was trembling so hard when I handed him over to Ratchet. I went to see him in our medibay after the battle, and he was lying there waiting for them to remove his wing. The damage was so extensive they decided to go for a replacement rather than a rebuild. Poor thing was grounded for nearly two orns.”

“Poor kid.”

“He's fine now though. But while he was waiting, Wheeljack was there having one of his sensor winglets removed—he'd taken a nasty hit too. And Swoop was so upset about that—from the way he was shaking you'd never know he'd knocked down the Decepticon third-in-command just three cycles before. Well, I felt kinda sorry for him, so I spent a lot of time with him while he was flightless, and helped to rebuild his wing. We... just sorta fell for each other over that time.”

“Oh goodness! That is something.”

“You would have fallen in love with him too.”

“Like Starlight is now?”

Skyfire glanced again at the pale femme holding the brightly colored Dinobot in her arms, teaching him another waltz it appeared. She was smiling in delight at her pupil. “Oh, probably.”

“Well I'm glad you found each other,” smiled Payload. “A gentle soul like yourself deserves a little darling like him. You'll be good for each other.”

-o-o-o-o-o-

In the evening the Lesathian crowd picked up a bit as some of the local mine workers finished their shifts and came in to wind down. Starlight took the stage, draped in a glittering white shawl and a few pieces of diamond jewelry. Entranced, Swoop sat at Skyfire's side watching her perform. “I did not know we could sing. I have only seen humans singing on television.”

“Some of us can sing, if we've got the right vocalizer for it.”

“Are any singers on the Ark?” Swoop pondered.

“I don't know of any, but there might be some.”

Swoop turned to Payload. “Payload? Can you sing? You have pretty lips like Starlight does.”

The shuttle-former chuckled. Her lips were painted bright red to match the trim on her white plating. “It takes more than pretty lip components to make a singer.”

“Well! It looks like the Taxi-club is all present at the Taxi Bar,” laughed a voice. A tall, dark purple and grey mech approached the table.

Swoop's eyes had barely registered the Decepticon insignia on his chest when the Dinobot shrieked and threw himself at the newcomer. And he would have succeeded in doing more than knocking over the glasses on the table had not Payload caught him as he launched and held him back. She yanked him against her chest, holding him tightly as the Dinobot struggled, trying to squirm out of her grip and attack the enemy.

“Easy! Easy there Swoop,” Skyfire said, quickly rising and placing himself in between the Dinobot and the Decepticon.

“The bar's neutral territory. You're going to get us kicked out if you don't stop,” Payload hissed. Starlight's bouncers were already on their way over.

“But! But...!” Swoop protested.

“Shhh...it's okay. Just calm down, love,” said Skyfire soothingly, putting his hands on his sparkmate's shoulders.

“Octane, what are you doing here?” Payload growled.

“Just coming in for a drink...saw some familiar faces and thought I'd be friendly. Apparently the little guy wasn't in the mood for friendly,” he said flippantly.

“Sorry. He's not used to seeing a Decepticon anywhere but on the battlefield,” Skyfire explained and took Swoop into his arms, holding him to calm his struggles.

Octane leaned around Skyfire to see who his would-be attacker was. “Oh, one of those Dinobots. I didn't know they were ever let off of their leashes.”

Payload stood up, her large size becoming readily apparent for she towered a full head over the triple-changer. “Octane. I'm warning you. Be nice or I might just take you outside and teach you a few manners.” She shuffled her shoulders like a prize-fighter warming up.

The bouncers hovered slightly closer, hoping they'd not have to deal with the large femme.

“How about you take me back to your berth again and teach me? I learned a lot there last time but apparently not enough.”

For a moment there was absolute silence as Payload glared down at Octane, her expression one of barely-contained anger. Her stance was all coiled tension waiting for one more nudge...one little thing that would set her off. Even Starlight had ceased her singing and was watching breathlessly.

And then the white femme smirked and she pulled Octane down into a chair. Her hand still on him she turned to their waitress and signaled for a full round of drinks to replace the spilled ones. “So, let's start over, shall we?” said Payload as a waiter came over with a towel and wiped the table. “Again, Octane, what are you doing there.” Only this time her voice was pleasant and full of niceties.

“Eh...just another fuel run. Being Megatron's delivery boy. You?”

The waitress came around with glasses of high-grade and set them out.

“Stopover on a delivery,” Payload lied. “Just waiting for my pilot to get in a few overloads at the brothel up the street before heading on to Rigel Junction. I can always tell when he needs it because he starts flirting with me.”

Octane chuckled. “Skyfire?”

“Autobot taxi service,” he said with a half-salute.

Octane laughed and raised his glass. “Well, here's to the excitement and valor of being soldiers. We all go home heroes covered in glory,” he said sarcastically.

The three drank, but Swoop just looked puzzled, and looked unsure when Octane fixed his optics on him, where he was clinging to Skyfire's side. “Hey, I'm sorry about the crack at the Dinobots. I was just being a jerk. I hope you'll forgive me for that.”

“When are you not being a jerk, Octane?” Payload grinned.

“You're so set against me aren't you?” he huffed, looking over the top of his glass at her.

“I'm set against you as a member of your faction. You promised me you'd go neutral if I showed you some love.” The shuttle-femme tilted her head casually. “Well? I'm still waiting.”

“Did I?” he chuckled. “Maybe I need more convincing.” He leaned in, slipping a hand onto her thigh.

Payload smirked confidently and drained her glass. “Before this war is over, you'll turn.”

“Before this night is over, you'll be in my berth.”

She snorted. “Keep dreaming.”

“Are they...” Swoop looked for a word that would describe the unfolding relationship between the two shuttle-formers.

“We're old friends,” supplied Octane. 

“New enemies,” muttered Payload.

“And what's your name?” he asked of Swoop.

“I am Swoop...a Dinobot.” And then he remembered that Octane had already recognized him as such.

“Wait... yes... the flying one. Oh...” His optics narrowed, remembering the details. “You almost went down in that last big battle.” And then he looked at Skyfire and pointed at him. “You're at the top of Starscream's miffy list because of that little rescue, you know. He thought he had a kill and he's been livid over your bit of heroics since.”

“I wasn't being a hero. I was just doing what I could to save a life.” He smiled down at Swoop.

Starlight, having finished her resumed song, came over to the table. “Octane, welcome.”

The tanker stood and took her hand. “Starlight, you're as lovely as ever. I hope you can forgive my interrupting your performance.”

“Possibly...” she said noncommittally, taking the chair the Decepticon offered, the one in between him and Swoop and joining them at the table. She cast an look of annoyance in Payload's direction.

“He was insulting Swoop,” defended the shuttleformer.

Starlight's look moved to Octane.

“I apologized,” he said, looking sheepish. And then he took her hand again and kissed it. “You're beautiful when you're angry, you know.”

“I seem to remember you telling me I was beautiful all the time,” she countered.

The group sat in something of an awkward semi-silence for a bit, looking for something to talk about, another round of drinks coming to the table. Swoop still hadn't touched the one in front of him yet. The larger mechs had correspondingly larger fuel tanks than he did and he wasn't feeling the need to add to his charge. Starlight went back to her stage again to sing a few more songs, and some of the patrons got up and began dancing. Swoop watched with interest, now knowing a little more about dancing, wondering if his beloved could dance.

-o-o-o-o-o-

The night went on, the three transports chatting lightly and Starlight dividing her time between the stage, her fellow Cybertronians, and business matters that popped up now and then. Octane kept fawning over the femmes but was not getting anywhere. Starlight took Swoop out to dance, much to his delight. And afterward she kept looking at him sitting next to her. After a while she took out her touch-up paint kit, opened up the dark pink receptacle, and with a small brush painted his face to look like hers. First she painted the area above his optics, and then colored his lips. When that dried, she took out the black paint and rimmed his optics and gave him eyelash-streaks at the outer corners, leaving the Dinobot's face with a definitely feminine appearance. Then she removed the shawl from her own shoulders and draped it about his. “There now. Show your sweetie how pretty you are,” she giggled.

“I saw,” said Skyfire with a bit of a laugh at Starlight's antics.

“Pretty? What did she paint?” Swoop asked.

“She painted you like a femme.”

Starlight produced a mirror and handed it to Swoop, who stared suspiciously at his reflection. And then he looked up to Payload's face and Starlight's. “But I'm not a femme.”

“You could be,” said Octane, now studying the Dinobot. “Wouldn't take too much more to convert you over. I actually know a guy who could...”

Payload nudged him, cutting him off. “Enough, Octane,” she growled.

“Aww, but look at him. He's lovely. Who built him, Skyfire?”

“Wheeljack did most of the design work and Ratchet helped with the construction.”

“I'm surprised they didn't make him a femme to start with.”

“Shut it, Octane. I know where this is going,” Payload cautioned. “Just stop right now. Swoop is Skyfire's.”

The tanker looked shocked. “Is... Skyfire's... ?”

“Yes. And they're exclusive too. So don't even think about it.”

Octane leaned tipsily onto the table toward Skyfire. “Seriously? You? And the Dinobot?”

Skyfire put his hand on Swoop's back possessively. “Seriously.”

Octane laughed awkwardly. “I don't believe it. He's just... well...”

He was cut off again by Payload's elbow and a warning rumble.

And then the Decepticon laughed. “And here we thought you'd be broken forever by losing Starscream. Well I suppose he's a lot like Starscream was... a bit wild and impetuous and emotional. Maybe that's your type...a balance to your serenity. Opposites attract, right?”

“Octane...” Payload rumbled in further warning.

Skyfire picked up his energon and emptied the glass. “Maybe it is,” he said flatly.

“Well I wasn't kidding about you being at the top of Starscream's miffy list.” Octane laughed awkwardly again. “But if he finds out he's been replaced in your affections, you'll be at the top of his hit list. He'll put a price on your head. He still keeps thinking you'll come back to him someday. Keeps bragging about it. It seems he expects you to come running back to him once he's taken over leadership of the Decepticons. Him wearing that stupid golden crown and you sitting beside the throne as his pretty consort.”

Swoop's general confused look, worn pretty much since the arrival of the tanker, had shifted to one of distress. “You... you were lovers with Starscream?” he asked Skyfire in disbelief.

Octane laughed and leaned toward Swoop. “Were they lovers? They were inseparable from what I hear. Your Skyfire here was just the thing to tame that seeker's flame.”

Skyfire looked uncomfortable. “Yes, maybe. But that was long ago.”

“But Him Starscream a De... Decepticon.”

“Well yes. Unfortunately. That's how things worked out,” laughed Octane, reaching for his drink.

Tears began to form at the edge of Swoop's optics. “Skyfire...” he squeaked. And he suddenly tossed off Starlight's shawl and bolted from the bar.

“What was that about? Didn't he know about you and Starscream?” Octane asked.

“No,” Skyfire grunted bitterly, glaring at the triple-changer.

Payload put her hand against her face and shook her head. “Primus, Skyfire. I can't believe you hadn't told him. You told me on our first meeting. And Swoop's your bondmate?”

Skyfire groaned guiltily. “I'll be back,” he said and ran after Swoop.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"Sunset Dreams" continues in Chapter 6: "Holding Back"

-o-o-o-o-o-


	6. Holding Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snarl doesn't quite understand why Sunstreaker and Sideswipe are so reserved about showing their love for him in public. Skyfire and Swoop and most of the other Autobots don't hesitate after all.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Snarl gave Sunstreaker's pauldron a squeeze. “Do good,” he said encouragingly to the golden mech.

“I will. I'm getting better at swordplay all the time,” he grinned and headed toward the rest of the group. “I might have to get a sword of my own sometime soon.”

No one had understood why Wheeljack had given the Dinobots swords in their arsenal along with the programming to use them. Bladed weapons had come and gone through the ages, sometimes being common, sometimes seen as relics of past times. As of four million years ago when they'd left Cybertron, they were out of fashion, and had been for some time. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe barely remembered how to use them. But Grimlock, on finding out that they once had included them in their personal arsenals, insisted that they use them once more.

Sunstreaker swapped places with his brother, taking the sword from Sideswipe's hand as well. Snarl had loaned his blade to the twins for sparring. The red mech came to where Snarl was at rest and sat down next to him, falling back into the long, sparse grass and shrubbery that grew about the edges of the Dinobots' sparring ground.

“You did good,” Snarl complimented. “Me think you remember more of swords than you think you remember.” He scooted a little closer to Sideswipe.

“I'm inclined to agree with you... but look at these marks.” He held out his arm to Snarl, displaying to him a series of shallow dents where Slag had hit him with the flat of his blade... repeatedly.

Snarl took the frontliner's arm in his hands and peered closely. “Not too bad. Creator Ratchet or Him Hoist can fix. No problem.” And then the Dinobot grinned cheesily. “Me Snarl fix.” He leaned forward and pressed his lips to the raggedy-edged dents, kissing them enthusiastically. “Me make it all better.”

Sideswipe's attention, previously on his brother, now turned to Snarl. “Snarl? What are you doing?” he asked flatly.

The Dinobot grinned again. “Me see on television. Kiss fix everything. Kiss fix hurt. Kiss wake up sleeping girl. Kiss make friends.” He looked up at Sideswipe with luminous blue optics. “Kiss mean everything is going to be all right.”

Sideswipe laughed. “Don't tell me you believe everything you see on television, Snarl.” And he was about to explain that much of what one saw on television was simply for entertainment and may or may not be grounded in any sort of reality, except that Snarl suddenly launched himself and threw him to the ground on his back, and was now atop him pressing their lips together.

“Snarl! Get off!” Sideswipe huffed and rolled the Dinobot off of him.

Snarl stared in surprise, disappointment written all over his face. “But Me Snarl want to kiss you. Me thought you liked kissing.”

Sideswipe looked off at the others, hoping that no one had seen what had just happened. But they all seemed to be caught up in Sunstreaker's swordplay practice for the moment. “Yes, but not here. Not in front of the others.”

“Why not? You kiss me in your room. You kiss me when you touch my spark. What is wrong with in front of the others?”

Sideswipe looked about again nervously. “Because... because Sunny and I like to keep things very private when it comes to affection.”

“Him Swoop and Him Skyfire kiss all the time in front of others. Me see. Me see them kissing and touching all the time.”

“Yes, but that's them.”

“Me see other Autobots do the same.”

“But it's not us. We're different. We're not the lovey-dovey sort.”

Snarl looked crestfallen. “Oh...” His gaze fell to his hands, which were twisting together and wringing over his lap. “Me not want to be different,” he said after a minute. Hadn't that always been something of the Dinobots' struggle? Being different?

Sideswipe sighed. “I know. But...it's not us.” He turned his head away. Snarl did have a point.

Snarl tried to accept the answer. He'd been astounded when Skyfire and Swoop had returned after the testing of Swoop's new wing, and the two were decidedly 'lovers'. They spent all their available time together. They kissed in public. There was so much intimacy and closeness between them. And now they were off on some interstellar voyage. He wanted all that as well.

But when it came to his relationship the twins, it was just as Sideswipe had admitted. They'd told him to keep quiet about what happened behind closed doors. They'd insisted that they were only friends. And yet he could not deny the longing in his spark for them... that painful longing. Every time he saw the twins, either alone or together, there came that strange enthusiasm—that unexplained tug at his spark. It took most of his will-power to hold himself back from showing the same affections that his brother so openly displayed for Skyfire. And Snarl was said to be the quiet, emotionless one interested in nothing but battle.

Sideswipe rose again and cheered his brother on, the yellow mech now engaged in a one-on-one match with Grimlock. And when it was over, Sunstreaker defeated again by the Dinobot leader's strength, Sideswipe cast a glance down at the sullen stegosaurus. “After sparring practice, we'll go back to our quarters, and then you can kiss me all you want,” the red mech said quietly.

Snarl's spark did somersaults in its chamber.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"Sunset Dreams" continues in Chapter 7:" La Lune et L'Enfant"

-o-o-o-o-o-


	7. La Lune et L'Enfant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skyfire catches up to Swoop and does his best to assure his sparkmate that all is well. After the long lesson in love and history and politics, the pair return to Starlight's bar, where Starlight is determined to make the evening is a memorable (and pleasurable) one.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Skyfire tracked Swoop to a spot a few miles away, finding him sitting beside the large saline lake on the perimeter of the spaceport. He was in primary mode with his knees pulled up to his chest. And on hearing Skyfire approach and land, he squawked and turned away.

“Swoop,” said Skyfire softly. “Will you let me explain?”

“You loved Him Starscream. A Decepticon,” the Dinobot hissed bitterly.

“Swoop, it was a long time ago.” He calmly took a step closer.

“Me thought you devoted Autobot! But tonight! You talk with Him Octane. You act like Him Octane a friend. White femme Payload...his lover?”

“Swoop...please let me explain. I know it's complicated.” He went to put his arms around Swoop but the smaller mech easily dodged out of them. Swoop quickly transformed and took to the air, jetting away.

Skyfire groaned and took off after him again. He couldn't match the Dinobot's maneuverability in the air, but would be able to outdistance and outpower him without question. And so after chasing him hard for nearly an hour, the Dinobot landed, exhausted and frustrated, transformed, and turned angrily to Skyfire who was landing beside him. “Leave me alone!” he cried pathetically, tears flowing down his painted face.

“Swoop, no. I have to explain first before this goes too far.”

“Explain what? Explain that you and Payload are... are...” He couldn't bring himself to accuse his beloved of betrayal.

Skyfire was able to put his arms around Swoop this time and the young flyer trembled and curled into himself tightly. For a breem they just sat, Skyfire holding Swoop close and stroking his plating gently, waiting for him to calm down enough to talk to.

“Look, about Octane. It's not as bad as you might think. He's barely a Decepticon. They only want him because he's good at locating fuel and hauling energon for them. Payload knows this. She's been trying to lure him away from his faction for a while now, slowly breaking down his allegiance to that cause. If she can get him to at least leave their faction, or get him to act out so much that they throw him out, that will be a victory. Yes, they've been lovers, but it's more than just interfacing with the enemy.”

“But you talk to Him Octane too.”

“This spaceport is neutral territory, and it's valuable to both factions, as well as a lot of other travelers through this part of the galaxy. We can't just bring our war into it and expect everyone to accept that and the damage it would cause. That's why Payload grabbed you and stopped you from fighting him. To keep all of us out of trouble. Not to mention staying in Starlight's good graces. And yes, I was talking to him. But...” He vented deeply. “Shuttle-formers have a certain kinship...we may be on opposite sides, but we still are drawn to each other. It's part of our nature because so often we're apart and alone. When we're together, we treasure it, enough to overlook things such as our factions.”

Swoop looked up at him, his optics wide, and Skyfire felt some of his circuits threatening to melt. Starlight's pretty paint-job atop Wheeljack's youthful faceplate didn't help any.

“But... you and Starscream. You never told me,” Swoop choked.

“I know. I guess I was always waiting for the right moment, but it never came. But like I said, it was a long time ago. It was before the war, before the two factions fell out completely with each other.”

“Before the war?”

Skyfire was kicking himself for not having mentioned that fact earlier.

“Before the fighting began.” He brought his hand in and gently traced the edges and high points of Swoop's faceplate. “Back then, he was just a party member and I had decided to stay out of politics. I wasn't an Autobot until after they took me in here on Earth.” He leaned in and kissed Swoop where the shaft of his crest bent into his helm. “Believe it or not, you've been an Autobot longer than I have.”

Swoop thought about it a moment. It was true. He'd been created an Autobot, and not long after that, Skyfire had been found in the ice of Earth's southernmost continent.

“There's more I haven't told you,” Skyfire said slowly. He might as well complete the story. “The Autobots didn't find me. The Decepticons did. It was completely by accident though—they weren't looking for me or anything.” He sighed and pulled Swoop a little closer. “They thawed me out and brought me back to life. When I opened my eyes, Starscream was the first thing I saw, and you wouldn't believe my joy at seeing him there. But there were others as well...the Decepticon leaders. They insisted that I was one of them, if only because of my past association with Starscream. They told me that it was an honor to serve their faction.” Skyfire off-lined his optics. “I...I trusted Starscream. I just went with it and became a Decepticon.”

“You were a Decepticon? Then what happened?” Swoop asked, no longer trying to run, but finding himself entangled by all this information that had been kept from him. The Dinobots were frequently kept out of the loop regarding the rest of the faction.

“Then...then it wasn't long before my pacifist ways came out. It was obvious I didn't want to fight their war. Starscream... he... he rejected me...” At this point the shuttle-former broke down into tears. “Our bond was gone. We'd been so close, and I'd waited so long for him, but then...barely warmed up from the cold entombment, he... he...”

Swoop reached into one of Skyfire's storage compartments and brought out the towel he knew would be there, and with it blotted at Skyfire's tears and then his own. “Skyfire...” Swoop whispered.

“Starscream called me a traitor and shot me...because I refused to execute the four Autobots that had been captured.” He'd never recounted this story to anyone, and had not expected it to be quite so painful.

“Oh Skyfire...”

“After that, the Autobots took me in, and Optimus Prime understood. They don't expect me to fight except when necessary. While being their chauffeur seems like such a chore, it keeps me on the sidelines of the action most of the time.”

-o-o-o-o-o-

For some time they sat in silence, sharing tears and soaking the towel. Albis, Lesath 3's huge white moon, began to rise over a distant ridge. Together they watched it ascend and set the landscape aglow.

Eventually the smaller mech spoke. “I understand why you never told me. It hurts you. You never told me there was this hurt inside of you.” Swoop gave him a smile and a kiss and went back to blotting the scientist's faceplate. “But do not cry for me. This story hurts you more than it hurts me. I only have to hear it. You have to live with it.”

At this bit of unexpected wisdom, Skyfire smiled. No wonder he was in love with the Dinobot. 

They returned to Starlight's bar, coming in to find the place quieter than before as about half of the patrons had left for the night. Payload and Octane were still there, and they rose when the two Autobots entered.

“Everything okay?” Payload asked, obviously concerned.

Skyfire nodded and led Swoop by the hand to the table, the two taking their chairs again.

Octane looked embarrassed. “Look... Skyfire. Swoop. I'm really sorry to have run my vocalizer off like that. I didn't know, but I shouldn't have brought up 'Screamer.”

“It's okay, Octane. It was mostly my fault for hiding something that big from him. Of course most of the Autobots don't know either. But...we had a good long talk and he understands now.”

Payload smiled and patted the fellow shuttle on the shoulder. “Good.”

Starlight appeared, and on seeing the others back, she came over and put her arms around Swoop's shoulders “You okay, sweetie? Everything back to normal?”

“Yes. Thank you, Starlight,” he said genuinely.

Her optics lifted to scientist. “Skyfire?”

He nodded.

His fuel depleted, Swoop was ready to drink now, and he downed the two glasses of energon in front of him. Seeing this, Starlight brought a third from the bar herself, and with more self-control Swoop sipped this one gratefully.

The excitement over, the five wandered back into their conversations and reminiscing and exchanging stories they'd heard. Octane behaved himself...mostly. There was a moment when Payload suddenly turned and growled at him. “Octane, if you don't get that hose off of my leg, I'm going to remove it personally in a rather painful and embarrassing manner.”

After some time Swoop began to look tired, and Skyfire rose, announcing that he'd take the little mech back to the hangar.

“Oh... no! You don't have to do that,” said Starlight, standing up as well. “I'll just take him upstairs. I have a berth in my dressing room he can recharge on.”

“I don't mind the hangar,” said Swoop meekly.

“Nonsense. It's probably cold and dusty. You shouldn't have to sleep there, not after a long space journey and certainly not after that little upset earlier.” Not to be stopped, Starlight grabbed Swoop's hand despite any protests and took him up a flight of stairs behind the bar counter.

“Starlight, you're so nice,” Swoop said gently with a little squeeze given to her hand as she led him away.

“It's your first trip away from home, and your first visit to Starlight's Taxi Bar and Oil House. I want it to be special.”

“You've made it very special. I've never danced before. And I've never heard a Cybertronian sing either. And I've met two femmes.” It really had been an eventful day. And that was before the information Octane had thrown onto the table.

Starlight stopped at a white door upon which several stars had been painted in blue. Pulling out a key she unlocked it. “Well, there's one more thing... something special for you and Skyfire.”

-o-o-o-o-o-

“Well there you are,” said Octane, rising again as Starlight returned. “I was starting to wonder if I needed to go looking for you.”

“I know. I was tucking Swoop into a berth and he got a bit chatty.” She looked over at Skyfire. “He's so sweet underneath that armor plating. You're so lucky to have him. And he's only going to get better as he ages. I hope the war never breaks you two apart.”

“Here here!” said Payload enthusiastically, raising her glass. She drank and others drank with her.

Starlight looked over at her stage, adjusted her shawl, and decided to perform one last set of songs for the night despite the bar being nearly empty now. Once she was singing, Octane grabbed their Skuxxoid waitress and danced with her. And then he got Payload up for a slow dance. She in turn traded the tanker for her brother shuttle. After that, Starlight came down from the stage and engaged Skyfire for a pavanne, pressing a key into his hand halfway through the long, slow song. “Just stay here tonight. That's the key to my dressing room. Swoop's asleep on the berth in there.”

“We're not putting you out, are we? I'd hate to find you had to recharge atop the bar, or that you went and bunked up with Octane,” Skyfire said.

“I have a berth in my office as well, so I'll just recharge there,” she assured him between twirls.

Skyfire looked into her bright blue optics. “You're wonderful, you know.”

She smiled and laughed in delight as he spun her, the light glinting off of her ornamentation. “I do my best.”

-o-o-o-o-o-

Skyfire found the door and let himself inside. And whatever the room contained, he never noticed for his attentions were caught by one thing. A thickly padded berth occupied a place of honor beneath a skylight, through which Albis' cold white light streamed down. The berth suddenly appeared as an altar illuminated by the moon. Laid out upon that altar as an offering was the young Dinobot, his frame stretched in sleep amid a few luxurious pillows.

Approaching, Skyfire found that Starlight had further decorated him by attaching a line of crystal jewels down the front edge of his crest and along his nasal ridge and down his beak. More jewels sparkled upon the backs of his hands and fingers. A collar of fluffy white feathers had been placed around his neck, enhancing his avian appearance all the more. Looking at the sleeping face, Skyfire begrudgingly admitted that Octane was right. Swoop was lovely. Leave it to the femme to point that out to him. And here, his bright colors washed out by the pale light, he looked so innocent and gentle.

Skyfire leaned over Swoop and delicately kissed him, pressing his lip components against those of the Dinobot. Swoop murmured unintelligibly, but the sound was positive and welcoming. Skyfire kissed him again, and as he did he wrapped one hand about Swoop's, entwining their fingers, while the other hand planted against the lushly padded berth for balance.

Swoop stirred and woke, and Skyfire broke the current kiss when the Dinobot's optics lit. When they focused he ran a finger down his cheek plating. Swoop's face felt cool to the touch, a contrast with the warmth that had already built up in his own frame.

“Skyfire,” Swoop whispered. His hand reached up and rubbed Skyfire's canopy. And then he pushed himself into a sitting position, his lips seeking out the jet's this time, indulging in the pleasure of Skyfire's warmth and touch. His hand tenderly slid up to cradle his beloved's cheek.

“Swoop. You look beautiful in the moonlight,” Skyfire breathed reverently between kisses. And then he turned his face and nuzzled Swoop's palm delicately.

“Starlight told me she would make me beautiful for you,” said shyly.

“And she did.”

“But...she made me look like a femme.” His fingers brushed the feathery collar about his neck with some disdain. “Do you like femmes?”

Skyfire grinned. “Octane likes femmes. I like you—femme or not,” came the answer. And then he caught some of Swoops fingers in his mouth and teased their sensitive tips with his tongue, making the Dinobot giggle.

When Starlight had handed him the key to her room, he had planned on just finding Swoop, slipping into the donated berth, and falling into recharge beside his love. But an aching had risen in his sensor net—a need to be touched and to touch back. He tensed at the eager thought of an interface, especially after the drama of the evening. How wonderful it would be to make love to Swoop right here, the pallid moonlight dancing over their frames. And that must have been Starlight's plan all along. Why else would she have decorated his bondmate so prettily and placed him here, looking so deliciously inviting. His spark pulsed with the longing to merge again with Swoop's. 

He released the black hand and sat on the berth, pulling Swoop into his lap facing him. This time his hand caught Swoop's crest and turned his head to expose his neck to the attentions of his mouth. Pushing aside the feathers, Skyfire kissed and nipped at the plating and the cabling exposed where the plates did not meet—a common design type to allow for flexibility. For Swoop, as it was for most mechs, the neck was a delicate place. The main sensor instruments in a Cybertronian's head connected through it to the processors deeper in the torso. As the narrowness often meant that the wiring lay temptingly close to the surface, it tended to be overly receptive to touch, and was thusly regarded as an erogenous zone.

Swoop made quiet whimpers and shy noises of pleasure every time Skyfire lingered on a sensitive spot or tugged on his crest. Normally the scientist treated him with such delicacy, but tonight there was something different in Skyfire's approach. His grip was more possessive. His kiss more intense. His desire heightened. A certain urgency pervaded his actions.

Swoop tried to decide what had aroused the jet so, and it quickly became clear that there were too many options, any one of which might be responsible. Perhaps the welcoming presence of the beautiful Starlight was working on him. Or perhaps it was the kinship between him and Payload. He understood the love one felt for their own type—he himself felt the constant need to be close to his Dinobot brothers. And then there were Octane's nearly non-stop attempts to seduce one of the two femmes. The Decepticon was absolutely fixated on them. Had that woken some competitive drive in Skyfire? Or was there some protective jealousy at work from when Octane had found Starlight's artistry with the pink paint and shawl perhaps a bit too attractive? And after that came the wild emotions and tearful confrontation somewhere out on the grassy plains of Lesath 3. Or were latent feelings for Starscream suddenly arising with the mention of the old relationship? Or was this simply the way Skyfire wanted to complete their re-connection?

Swoop's processors reeled. There were too many possibilities, all compounded by the fact that they'd not interfaced in nearly an orn. Before that no more than two nights had slipped past without them diving into each other.

The Dinobot decided to stop reasoning and to just enjoy the passion. The source or sources of Skyfire's aggressive need didn't matter. What did matter was that the loved and the beloved were together, undisturbed, and hovering on the edge of a union they wouldn't soon forget. This was soon confirmed when Skyfire released the red crest and pulled Swoop hard against his chest. His EM field was pulsing wildly. “Please forgive me,” he gasped. “But I need you now.”

Swoop looked up into Skyfire's blue optics. “You don't have to ask...just take,” came the small flyer's answer. “I'll give you anything you want.” His fingers spread across the air intakes on the jet's chest and slid along them, causing Skyfire to shudder. “If you want my loyalty, it's yours. If you want my spark, it's yours. If you want my life, it's yours. I love you that much Skyfire...enough to give you anything.”

“Oh Swoop...beautiful Swoop,” Skyfire moaned. He rose and deposited the Dinobot face-up onto the lush berth. The scientist's hands and lips were suddenly everywhere, clutching and grasping and kissing desperately. Swoop's plating began to heat up, both from friction and the anticipation of what was about to come. Two huge white hands traveled up his beak, caressing the Autobot insignia before moving on to the low ridges of the eyelids of Swoop's alt-mode, closed by default in his present form. And then he grabbed Swoop's wrists, one in each hand, and pulled his arms up above his head, forcing them against the mattress beside the long crest.

Swoop shut down his optics again as his lover continued to lavish attention upon him with an exciting recklessness. Skyfire's lips assaulted his faceplate with a renewed hunger, kissing and sucking hungrily at the metal. And his optics remained off when Skyfire impulsively flipped him onto his front, cushions scattering in all directions. He threw open the panel on the Dinobot's back, homing in on Swoop's spark. His field flared wildly, erratically, threatening to smother the object of his desire with passion.

Swoop moaned happily as Skyfire manually slid back the piece of sub-plating over his spark-chamber, the one he'd lovingly etched his personal glyphs and a romantic poem onto after their first bonding. It was all so wonderful.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"Sunset Dreams" continues in Chapter 8: "Out in the Distance"

-o-o-o-o-o-


	8. Out in the Distance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after brings surprises and Swoop is trying desperately to understand everything. Skyfire assures him that someday he will, including the games the shuttle-formers are playing.

-o-o-o-o-o-

The next morning, after Lesath had turned the altar of the moon into the throne of the sun, Starlight reappeared and took Swoop into her washrack, carefully removing the jewels and dissolving the pink paint she'd adorned him with. “Did you have a good time last night?” she asked as she plucked the sparkling rhinestones from the back of his left hand.

Swoop nodded shyly, a coy smile on his lips.

“I wish I could say that I've known Skyfire a long time, but we've only met twice before. But I've always liked deep space shuttles. There's something about them. That's why I opened this place.” The jewels removed, she scrubbed off the last vestiges of adhesive and began to work on Swoop's right hand.

When the Dinobot was himself again, it was Skyfire's turn to shower, and afterwards the three headed downstairs for a bit of energon in a sunny corner of the bar, followed by goodbyes. “Remember, if you're ever on Lesath 3 again, you have to come visit,” Starlight said, taking their hands.

Back at the hangar again, they found Payload and her pilot with both cargoes spread out and the two of them going through the inventories. On one of the large, low berths at the back of the hangar, Octane lay in deep recharge, sprawled on his back with one arm hanging off the side and bent against the hangar floor. Across his chest plates had been written “Property of Payload” in red paint.

Right across his Decepticon insignia.

In Autobot glyphs.

Followed by a lip-print.

Payload smirked when she saw Skyfire reading her graffiti.

“Do I want to know?” he asked.

“Last night after you went upstairs, he got thoroughly overcharged and kept begging me 'Make me yours. Make me yours.' So I brought him back here and obliged him.”

Skyfire chuckled and shook his head as he looked at the doomed tanker again. It was then that he noticed a couple of Octane's connection cables and a fueling hose still hanging out from beneath poorly closed panels. Apparently Payload had completely taken advantage of the lovesick Decepticon. “He is not going to be happy with you when he wakes up.”

Payload smirked. “On the contrary. He's going to be very happy...that was one heck of an interface last night. Well, happy at least until he passes a mirror and spots that paint. Then he's not going to be happy. And then he'll really hate me once he discovers I stole the solvent out of his touch-up kit. But that will teach him to be so careless.”

Skyfire now shook his head at his sister-shuttle. “We really need to see about getting you transferred to special-ops. You're completely wasted on running cargo.”

She smiled warmly at Skyfire. “Thanks, but I'll stick to running cargo. And you're one to talk.”

He grinned at her. “So... we ready to load up?” He looked to Throth.

The little organic wriggled his fingers in a positive gesture. “Inventory all checks out. So yep.”

-o-o-o-o-o-

As they hung in orbit, Skyfire plotting the course back to Earth, Swoop floated inside of Skyfire's cabin staring down at Lesath 3.

“So, Swoop, now that you've met some, what do you think of femmes?” asked Skyfire once they'd made the jump into warp.

Swoop pushed himself from the window and headed for the front of Skyfire's cabin. “I don't understand Payload.”

“Oh?”

“Why does she not just kill Octane? Why keep playing this game with him? It would have been so easy, to just lure him somewhere no one would see, somewhere no one would find his body. Whether she wanted to give him a fair fight or just stab him in the back. But instead she takes him to the hangar and interfaces with him.” He climbed into the pilot's chair and stared through the canopy into the blur of hyper-space. “You said that Octane was barely a Decepticon. Is she barely an Autobot?

Skyfire took a moment to assemble an answer for the Dinobot.

“No, Payload's a very devoted Autobot. She's seen a lot of action over the vorns... been in quite a few battles from what I've learned. But sometimes... sometimes there's more to war than killing. Sometimes there are greater victories than the death of an enemy. And that's what she's hoping for.”

“To get him to join us?”

“Octane would be valuable to the Autobot cause. We're fortunate to have plenty of fuel on Earth, but that's not the case in many of the places we're fighting. And the Decepticons have it worse. Not only would losing Octane benefit us, but it would hurt more than their pride.”

“I see,” said Swoop, mulling it over in his processors. His hands tightened on the armrests of the chair.

“And it's okay if you don't understand. It is complicated. And yes, it is a game they play.”

Swoop vented deeply. “There is so much I don't know. So much I don't understand. I am just a sparkling...a sparkling pretending to be an adult.”

“And I'm just fine with that, my love.”

“But I feel so lost at times. I'm only a machine built for war. All I know is destruction. I felt so out of place in the conversations sometimes and I had nothing to talk about...except war.”

“It's okay, Swoop. And you're learning so much more than fighting. Think of it... last night, I watched you dancing with Starlight. That's something you've learned... and definitely not war.”

“But my creators built me for battle.”

“Swoop... they also gave you a good processor, so you can learn. And your spark...” Skyfire sighed as his thoughts pulled him back to bedtime. “Last night, when I found you on Starlight's berth...”

“I was asleep.”

“Yes. And I saw you lying there in the moonlight, you looked so innocent and gentle. I realized that you are the most beautiful thing in my life. I couldn't help but kiss you and hold you in my arms. And then you woke out of recharge and kissed me back and everything about you was love. The things you said and the way you touched me so tenderly. Sometimes it stuns me that you can be so dangerous in battle, and yet you can be that darling little thing I found curled up amongst the pillows in the pale light. So don't ever say that you're only capable of destruction.”

Swoop's optics were awash with tears. “Skyfire. I hope that someday I can understand like you do.”

“You understand more than you realize. You understood my pain over what happened with Starscream.”

“But there's so much more.”

“Yes... I know. And you will keep learning and someday, when you've lived as much as I have you will understand. And until then, I'll be here at your side, and all you have to do... is to keep loving me like you do.”

“Oh Skyfire...” Swoop fell forward in the chair and lay himself against the console in front of him, stroking the controls. “My beloved.”

“I wish I could hold you right now, but I can't while in jet mode in warp. So... shall we just get some recharge?”

Swoop smiled and curled delicate fingers about the panels beneath them. “Anything you like, my beloved.”

-o-o-o-o-o-

Ratchet stared at the results of the scan again. The results, though he'd not seen them in long time, were unmistakable.

Snarl was sparked. 

With twins.

Two tiny life-forces clung to each other, a split spark, orbiting the Dinobot's own.

He looked over at the Dinobot lying half asleep in his alt-mode upon the mediberth, completely oblivious to what the strange wavering and surging sensations in his spark had been lately. Most mechs would have realized immediately.

Quickly he sent a summons to Snarl's other creator.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"Sunset Dreams" continues in Chapter 9: "The Madness of Wheeljack"

-o-o-o-o-o-


	9. The Madness of Wheeljack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This has to be my favorite chapter of this story. It has so many wonderful scenes, and Wheeljack is absolutely amazing. You just want to hug him.

-o-o-o-o-o-

“I don't get it,” balked the still single-winged Wheeljack, watching the active scan track the two tiny life-forces as they circled the comparatively enormous third. “I know I put that carrier matrix into Snarl, but I set it to remain inactive for three vorns. Something must have been off with the timing.” And then he chuckled. “I guess that explains why Snarl suddenly took an interest in the rest of the Autobots. He never gave any of them a second look before. Might explain Skyfire and Swoop too. Swoop's matrix might have come on-line prematurely as well.”

Ratchet was pacing the medibay and fuming. “Wheeljack, why didn't you tell me? We were right there side-by-side through the whole construction process, and yet you didn't let me know?”

“Look, I picked up several carrier matrixes ages ago. I thought I might upgrade myself at some point, but never got around to it. And then when we started putting together Snarl and Swoop, I thought I might experiment with them.”

“Everyone's right about you,” Ratchet snapped at him. “You are half insane.”

“And this war is completely insane,” the engineer countered. “How many of us are left? Granted we have no idea about most of the colonies, but we're dying out. I wouldn't be surprised if there are less than a few thousand of our race left if you count us and whoever's still alive on Cybertron. We can't keep pretending the shadows are real. We've destroyed and forgotten and lost so much of our history that most of us don't even care about it any more.”

Ratchet threw his hands up in the air. “But now? And a Dinobot?”

Wheeljack leaned casually against a mediberth and gestured toward the door. “I don't see anyone else looking to continue our race. There are a number of carriers among us here on Earth and how many of them are carrying? Or have even carried within the time we've known them? Is it really madness to want to thwart extinction?”

Ratchet slumped defeatedly. He opened his mouth to say something, but then stopped himself and resumed pacing.

“Are you sure it was the twins?” Wheelack asked. The medic did not want to argue any more.

“According to Snarl they've been the only ones to have intimate contact with him besides the other Dinobots, and Snarl's been exclusive with the twins for the past few months. And before that, he said that he'd not interfaced with the others for another two months. Apparently Grimlock and Sludge are regular partners but none of the others are involved. In fact Slag seems to like the way celibacy keeps him edgy.”

“Knowing his possessiveness of his team, Grimlock is not going to be happy when he finds out he's got a sparked Dinobot and he's not the sire. I just know it.”

“If you tell him, I'll tell the twins.”

“Fair enough,” Wheeljack sighed. And then he straightened. “What about Swoop? You haven't checked him yet, have you?”

“Not yet. I suppose there's a pretty good chance he's sparked too. Ever since that battle he and Skyfire have been close.”

“I don't know how close though.”

Ratchet sighed. “I'll bring Swoop in, but not tonight. Not until well after I've dealt with the twins and the backlash from that. It's going to be one heck of a long night already,” he groaned. And then his hand clapped over his face as if to shelter himself from the insanity. “Why did it have to be those two? They should've know better than to risk it.”

-o-o-o-o-o-

“What?” asked Sunstreaker and Sideswipe synchronously, looking up from the couch at Ratchet looming above them. Every bit of his posture was a warning of one very irritated Autobot. The rec-room had grown ominously quiet.

“So, you thought you could just take Snarl as one of your berthtoys?” the CMO huffed, his emotions seething just under the calm white plating.

“We didn't 'take' him,” protested Sunstreaker. “He came willingly. And has been coming willingly for the past... what?”

“Two deca-cycles,” Sideswipe offered.

“That sounds about right.”

“And it's not like we tricked him or anything. We know he's not completely...well, we explained it carefully to him using simple words.”

“And he said that you explained it to the Dinobots as well.”

Ratchet unfolded his arms but his hands clenched into fists.

“Hey, we like him,” Sideswipe defended, rising to his feet and facing down the medic. “In fact, we're honored that one of your mighty Dinobots would stoop to taking us as a couple of berthtoys.”

“He takes us to spar with the other Dinobots and we take him back to our place to... wind down,” Sunstreaker explained.

“Me Sideswipe think Him Snarl nice piece of aft.”

The twins burst into a fit of giggles. A few of the other mechs hanging about pretending not to listen also found it humorous, and there were snorts and chuckles about the room. A smug smile flickered over Sideswipe's lips.

“Yeah well I've got some news for you two, and let me put into language you two can understand.”

“What news?” asked Sunstreaker, rising and leaning cockily onto his brother's shoulder.

“Him Snarl sparked. You Idiots parents.”

The twins stood there, mouths agape as Ratchet stomped off. “Come see me in the medibay when this sinks in and you're ready to talk.” And on reaching the rec-room door, he suddenly paused and then turned around, looking over the occupants. “And unless any of you want to face the wrath of a vengeful and angry Grimlock,” he barked loudly. “...none of you will say a word about this to any of the Dinobots. Not even Snarl. He doesn't know himself yet. And just in case any of you decide to tempt fate, anyone needing repairs for Dinobot inflicted injuries will just have to wait until after the sparklings are placed into their first frames, because we're going to be too busy building those first frames to deal with your idiocy.” He turned efficiently on his heels and strode away.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Wheeljack and Ratchet ran into each other in the hall outside of the Prime's office. The sudden 9:00PM summons could only be about one thing. “Well, it's been nice knowing you, Wheeljack,” Ratchet teased grimly.

“You too. I'll send you a postcard from Planet Looneybin.”

“Thanks. I'll send you some things that explode so you feel right at home.”

Wheeljack snorted a little laugh and patted his best friend on the shoulder. “Shall we? My tumbrel awaits.”

They knocked on the door and it opened to them. Optimus set down his datapad as they went in. “Ratchet. Wheeljack.” He gestured at the chairs before his desk and they sat. Prowl stood beside him with his arms crossed over his chest. Jazz leaned against the wall wearing that confident smirk on his face.

“I understand that there was a rather interesting 'announcement' in the rec-room earlier,” Optimus began.

“There was,” Ratchet replied.

“And this is not some kind of joke? I know you carry a few grudges against Sideswipe and Sunstreaker.”

“Not a joke. It's for real.”

Optimus leaned forward in his chair. So it seems that Snarl is a carrier, and is carrying. Care to explain?”

“It's all my fault, Optimus,” Wheeljack stated. “I put carrier matrices into the fourth and fifth Dinobots when I built them.”

“And you had nothing to do with it, Ratchet?” Optimus queried. “You were there for their construction.”

“I didn't find out myself until about four hours ago when Snarl came in asking about a strange fluttering in his spark that he kept feeling.”

“So both of them are carriers, and you didn't tell anyone you built them as such?”

“Not even Ratchet,” Wheeljack confessed, head hanging slightly.

“But why? Why make them carriers when you were building them to be warriors?” Prowl asked impatiently.

Wheeljack squinted. “Well let me tell you this. I didn't intend for the carrier matrices in them to come on-line for three vorns. But somehow I must have made an error in the timing, or something else in their programming conflicted with that. I haven't had a chance to investigate yet. I only found out that Snarl's was working when Ratchet called me in when he discovered Snarl's state.” Wheeljack's audial fins didn't flash but glowed steadily as he spoke.

“So you weren't going to have them carrying yet, but you still gave them the ability to carry a new spark.”

“I did.”

“Why?”

Wheeljack stood and drew himself up confidently. Even if he'd done something wrong in the eyes of the rest of the crew, he still believed in it.

“Because... Because our race is dying out, and even if we aren't willing to admit it to ourselves, we're headed for extinction. How many of us are left? Autobots and Decepticons and any neutrals we know of?” He turned to Prowl for an answer. “How many?”

Prowl shifted. “Including the known colonies, less than five thousand at last estimation. If we include the lost colonies and possible unknown refugees, the estimate might be up to fifteen or twenty thousand.”

“Twenty thousand at best. That's down from what? There were once millions of us on Cybertron. I was there. I remember it.”

“And two carrying Dinobots is going to fix all that?” rumbled Prime.

“We don't know for sure if Swoop is carrying,” Ratchet interjected. “If his carrier matrix has come on-line as well, there's a decent chance he is. He and Skyfire have been 'a thing' since that battle outside of Spokane. But his matrix may not have activated yet. After all, we don't know why Snarl's did.

“I see. Well please check him as soon as possible.”

“All right,” Ratchet sighed. So much for waiting until tomorrow.

“Given that he's suddenly formed a close relationship with Skyfire, perhaps he is viable and seeking a mate,” suggested Prowl.

“Good point,” said Optimus folding his hands together. And then he resumed glowering at Wheeljack. “But a few new sparks aren't going to restore our race or our planet, so why bring this... inconvenience... upon us?”

“Sparklings aren't an inconvenience,” snapped Wheeljack defiantly. “We can deal with it. But it's more than just having a few new bodies or a few new soldiers around. Strong reasons made me install those carrier matrices.”

Optimus leaned back into his chair again. “Go ahead.”

“All right.” He vented deeply, composing his thoughts for a moment, and then began. “How long has it been since anyone has seen a sparkling? Not including our six octad nap here on Earth, it's been far too long. Yes, we have carriers already aboard, right here with us. Seven of them in fact. But how many of them have produced a new spark since the war began? Are any of them currently sparked? He narrowed his optics at Prowl, who looked away defiantly. “And if the rest of us aren't going to breed, perhaps the Dinobots will.” 

Wheeljack began to pace the office. “Don't you see? Sparklings are the hope for the future...perhaps our only hope. We've lost so much, we need something to look forward to more than ever. A good reason to try to end this conflict. Look at Mirage. He's lost everything... everything he ever knew and loved and lived for is gone. Prowl, you know exactly how he feels, don't you? As Praxians, you and Bluestreak and Smokescreen have known it longer than most of us.” He paused, and then gestured toward the third in command, who had kept silent through the questioning so far. “The only thing keeping Mirage afloat right now is Jazz's appreciation and Hound's love. Otherwise what's he got to live for? And he's not the only one in that situation besides yourselves.”

“And perhaps even more importantly, having sparklings around gives us a reason to remember who we are...a reason to remember our traditions and why we do things the way we do, so that we may teach them, which in turn reinforces our culture in our own lives. But what's left of that culture? Just snippets and memories. We can hardly tell each other apart by nationality any more. Place-names and customs and traditions have been tossed to the wind.”

He leaned onto Optimus's desk, his voice lowering. “Have you noticed how much of Earth's culture has seeped into our lives. We don't realize it, but we're looking for something to fill that void. Our mannerisms. Our speech patterns. Our moral sense of what's right and wrong. Some of us have even started celebrating this planet's holidays. Why? Powerglide's all but bonded to that human woman. A human? And Windcharger...”

At this point he paused and vented with some degree of defeat, giving himself a moment to calm down. “Windcharger attends worship services at the First Methodist Church in Central City every Sunday. He calls himself a Christian believer now. An Earth religion. Why?”

He slumped and paused again before resuming with a gentler tone. “I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with Earth's culture. In fact there are a lot of good things to be enjoyed and learned from it. But it's starting to fill the void left by the demise of our own. If we don't start remembering who we are now, we're going to forget everything eventually... what we were, who we are, and why we've destroyed ourselves in this war. A handful of sparklings will give us a reason to remember.

Wheeljack drew himself up once more and fixed his optics on the tribunal. “Our planet is all but dead, its cities smashed and its glory nothing but dust. Darkness. Silence. It about killed me inside on the last trip to Cybertron. And here we are still fighting. For what? A broken world and a past we cannot remember? Does it really matter—really?—if Snarl is carrying? All I can see are two bright little flames that might give us some bit of hope for a future. Because right now, what else are we looking at? Without something like this? An empty vision of dust and legends that will fade over time. It's happened to greater people than us. We aren't immortal.”

His hand went to his forehead. “So who cares if we've got a pregnant Dinobot or two? The only thing I've done wrong is that I messed up somewhere in the timing mechanism. I regret that, but I don't regret installing the matrices.” He turned hard to look at Optimus. “I did it for us...for the people who call Cybertron home.”

Emotionally spent, Wheeljack returned to his chair and collapsed into it, leaning forward onto his knees. “So punish me however you will. I accept full responsibility for my actions.”

Ratchet put his hand on Wheeljack's arm and sent him an internal comm. ::Your madness is beautiful.::

Wheeljack glanced over at Ratchet in surprise.

The CMO gave him a quick smile and withdrew his hand. ::If you ever get around to installing a carrier matrix in yourself, let me know::

Optimus leaned back into his chair again, thought for a moment and then looked at Prowl, and then Jazz. Prowl looked uncertain himself. Jazz wasn't showing any sort of reaction, save that his smirk had disappeared.

He turned back to Wheeljack. “I'm going to need some time to think about this,” was his verdict.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"Sunset Dreams" continues in Chapter 10: "The Secret, The Candle, and Love"

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -o-o-o-o-o-
> 
> Just a note: I'm heading off to TFCon LA 2019 and this will be the last chapter for a while. For notes about TFCon, please see my profile. If you need something to keep you occupied while you wait for my return, try a few of my other stories. May I recommend:
> 
> "Understood" - A Tailgate/Cyclonus page-turner.  
>  "AU August Challenge" - Much better than it sounds, lots of shorter stories with some interesting pairings and even more interesting settings. I'm partial to the three Ratchet/Nickel stories, though the two Seaspray ones are wonderfully unique.  
>  "Queen of Spades" - Soundwave and Mindwipe and several cassetticons and an irresistible Chiroptacon in a complicated breeding contract.
> 
> -o-o-o-o-o-


	10. The Secret, the Candle, and Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ratchet tells Snarl.  
> Ratchet tells Swoop.  
> Wheeljack tells Grimlock.  
> Swoop and Ratchet tell Skyfire.  
> Sunstreaker and Sideswipe tell Ratchet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back from TFCon LA 2019! That was an amazing experience! I did and saw and learned so many amazing things! And I met quite a few AO3 authors and readers! Doubly amazing!

-o-o-o-o-o-

Swoop and Snarl met Ratchet on entering the medibay. “Time for Him Swoop's examination?” asked Snarl.

“Yes, as a matter of fact,” Ratchet answered. He patted one of the medberths and Swoop obediently hopped up onto it and stretched out on his back. “And there's something I need to tell you, Snarl.”

“New upgrade?” asked the Dinobot hopefully.

“In a way, yes. Not as you might be expecting though.” He paused and chuckled, realizing his choice of words. “Expecting,” he muttered to himself.

The scanner unit descended from the ceiling at Ratchet's command and Ratchet set it to cover Swoop's spark-chamber.

“Snarl, do you know what a sparkling is?”

“Me...er...I know!” Swoop blurted before his brother could answer. “Sparkling is a new robot. Us Dinobots sparklings.”

“Yes. That's right. And do you know where sparklings come from?”

“From Creator Ratchet and Creator Wheeljack,” Snarl answered, determined not to let Swoop prove himself any smarter.

“That's right. We built your frames and placed sparks into them.”

At this, Snarl's hands went to his armor above where his spark-chamber was located. He hoped the forthcoming news was something positive about the fluttering feeling he'd had from that place.

“Now here's the third question. Do you know where sparks come from?”

Snarl thought for a moment, and then shook his head. “Me Snarl not know.”

“Swoop?”

“Me not...er... I don't know either.

Ratchet walked over to him and placed his hand atop Snarl's. “From here. From a small piece of spark that has broken off during interfacing.”

“A broken piece of a spark makes a new spark? Which then makes a sparkling?” Swoop asked, hoping for confirmation.

“Yes...but only after it has joined with another broken piece of spark from another mech.”

Snarl tilted his head curiously. “Creator Ratchet? Are you building more Dinobots? You need spark pieces from us?” He'd been working hard to put two and two together.

Ratchet smiled. “You're on the right track. I will be building more Dinobots.”

The stegosaurus grinned with a decidedly aggressive bent. “Good! Me glad to help make more Dinobots. Smash more Decepticons!”

“But the new sparks are already made.” He patted Snarl's hands gently, still over his chest. “Can you feel them? They're the source of that odd feeling you've been having in your own spark.”

Snarl stared at him, and then down at his chest.

“You, Snarl are carrying two sparks besides your own. If you concentrate you should be able to feel them. Shut down your optics and your movement, and send your thoughts inside of yourself.”

“Two new sparks...” he whispered. He offlined his optics and his face dipped.

“Do I have extra sparks?” asked Swoop from the medberth. And then he looked up at the scanner. “You are checking for me?”

Ratchet went over to the monitor connected to the medical scanner. With the click of a few buttons he soon had the answer regarding Swoop.

“You and Skyfire have been interfacing?” Ratchet asked for confirmation.

Swoop smiled shyly. “Yes. Skyfire found my hidden spark-chamber.”

“Interfacing with your spark-chambers open?”

He hesitated. “Yes,” he admitted guiltily.

“Have you interfaced with anyone else in the past two months? Grimlock?”

“No. Just Skyfire...my only love.” A brightness rose in his optics and a smile brushed his lips.

Ratchet was admittedly a bit surprised to hear the Dinobot use those words. “Well it seems that you and your love had made a new spark. There is an extra one inside your chamber along with your own.”

“Oh!” cried Swoop excitedly. “A newspark! A new Dinobot!”

Snarl was putting the facts together with surprising quickness now. “Him Skyfire gave Swoop a piece? And Him Sideswipe-Sunstreaker gave me spark pieces?” Snarl and the other Dinobots frequently referred to the twins as one being.

“Yes. One of them helped you create those extra sparks. You'll have twins, as they are twins.”

Snarl, normally quiet and sullen, smiled happily. Still gripping his chest, he began to walk about the medibay on light feet quietly celebrating what had happened to him.

Ratchet walked over to Swoop and guided him off of the medberth. “We'll tell Skyfire when he returns. He's out on a mission right now but should be back in a few hours.”

Swoop smiled beatifically. “A sparkling. A sparkling of my own. I am so happy. I hope Skyfire is happy too.”

The CMO sighed. Wheeljack's subversive programming was indeed working, and in such a beautiful way.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Wheeljack had taken Grimlock in the pre-dawn hours to the Central City Landfill and Scrapyard where there was plenty of garbage to satisfyingly work out his frustrations on. Inferno had been drafted to come along as damage control for the Dinobot leader's flame breath. And as predicted, Grimlock was not happy. He ranted and raved and destroyed anything within reach for a solid two hours. 

And when Grimlock's steam ran out they brought the exhausted and defeated mech home to the Ark, where Wheeljack took him to the washracks and gave him a nice long hot shower and a good waxing afterward. Grimlock, still in dinosaur-mode and feeling soothed by his creator's circling touch on his plating, had calmed enough to talk reasonably, and he actually seemed rather interested, showing some unusual curiosity. “What kind of sparklings will we get? Mechs? Dinobots? Ground-type? Flyers?” 

“I'm not sure, to be honest. Can't really tell until they begin to develop. We'll put them into sparkling frames first, and as they get older, we'll see how they develop. I think I could safely expect that Snarl's twins will eventually become two hardcore frontliners, given their sire and carrier.” Wheeljack moved his hands to rub wax on Grimlock's stomach area, and the Dinobot leader instinctively rolled onto his back to allow easier access. He loved being touched there, like a big dog wanting a belly rub. “And I'd expect to get a flyer out of Swoop, an intelligent one.”

“But hopefully sparkling not a wimp like Him Skyfire. Hopefully new sparkling good fighter.”

Wheeljack chuckled at Grimlock's appraisal of the jet. The Dinobot leader had not hidden his disappointment in Skyfire's gentle nature since the beginning. “I know. Skyfire's a bit of a pacifist. But he's a good Autobot. We have a lot to thank him for. And he's done a lot for Swoop—don't forget that. Probably saved his life in that battle, and then built his new wing for him. He'll take very good care of the sparkling too.”

Grimlock stretched and arched his back. A few of the other Autobots who had come in for a wash were watching bemusedly. Wheeljack had reduced the arrogant Dinobot leader to a wriggling, purring pet with his soothing, affectionate stroking. “You make bodies for sparklings?” he asked, now nuzzling Wheeljack's hand with his snout.

“Yup. I'll make nice ones too, for all three newsparks.”

“Strong, yes?”

“Of course.”

“Good fighters?”

“Of course.”

“And handsome? Like other Dinobots?”

“As handsome as their parents.”

“Good. Then Me Grimlock accept sparklings. Accept non-Dinobot sires.”

“Even Skyfire?”

Grimlock paused and thought for a moment. “Yes. Me accept even him wimpy flyer.”

“Good.” Wheeljack stroked Grimlock's toothy face and petted his neck lovingly.

Grimlock rolled and stretched again, his forelegs pawing kittenishly at the air. “Me love you, Creator Wheeljack. You good creator.”

Beneath his mask Wheeljack was grinning. The others in the room were all either smiling or chuckling silently. For as much of problem Grimlock and his team could be, there were moments like these that made them forget all the trouble the rowdy Dinobots had caused.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Ratchet summoned the recently landed Skyfire to the medibay to break the news to him, a rather delighted Swoop rushing to meet him outside in the hallway and then leading him into Ratchet's office. The latest gossip about Sunstreaker and Sideswipe had him nervous, Snarl being Swoop's closest brother, created in the same go.

“Sparked!? Really?” the scientist gasped. He looked to Swoop, who was hanging affectionately onto his arm.

“Wonderful news!” the Dinobot purred, laying his smooth cheek against his bondmate's hand.

“Yes...well yes, it is, I guess,” He crouched and stared the Dinobot in the face. “Swoop, I didn't know you were a carrier. You never told me you were. I wouldn't have... I mean...”

“None of us knew,” Ratchet cut him off, knowing the jet's words were just going to stumble in circles. “Not even he nor Snarl knew until Snarl started to feel a 'strangeness' in his electrical field and finally came in last night to have me check it.” He folded his hands over his chest. “I'm sorry you got caught up into this, Skyfire. It turns out that Wheeljack put carrier matrices into Snarl and Swoop, intending them to eventually serve as more than warriors. I didn't even know—he didn't tell me about it. The matrices though weren't supposed to become operational for three vorns. But for some reason they activated early.” Ratchet folded forward onto his desk with a sigh. “So now...”

“So now I will have a sparkling to look after...a baby Autobot,” Swoop said excitedly. He turned to Skyfire. “I will take very good care of him, and teach him to fly like his sire,” the Dinobot beamed. “Creator Ratchet showed me pictures of the new spark.”

“Wait, you're not going to be raising him by yourself,” Skyfire protested. “I'll be helping you.”

“You will?” Swoop seemed a bit surprised.

Skyfire pulled the small flyer in closely. “Of course I'll help. What ever made you think I wouldn't? I'm surprised that this has happened, but... I'm not unhappy with it.”

Swoop squeaked delightedly, and leaned in for a kiss, which Skyfire gave him, not caring that Ratchet was watching.

Ratchet opened his desk and brought out one of the datapads he'd prepared with the information the two Dinobots would need in the coming months. At least one of the new additions would be raised by two loving parents. As for Snarl's offspring though...at least Snarl was excited to have them.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Ratchet and Hoist looked across the mediberth at the twins, who had just marched into the medibay. Their faces displayed confidence rather than distress. “Excuse me, Smokescreen. I've gotta talk to these two,” Ratchet apologized.

“Oh you can just talk to them here. I don't mind.” He was in for a broken strut in his waist—nothing serious.

“Sorry. This is personal.”

“About Swoop and Snarl, right? C'mon, we've all heard.”

“Nice try,” Ratchet huffed and beckoned the twins into his office.

“Gossip monger,” Hoist mumbled toward the blue and red Autobot when the door closed behind the three.

“Hey, can't blame me for trying.”

The twins, uncharacteristically silent, seated themselves and stared gravely at the CMO, now seated at his desk. He stared gravely back, mostly just to unnerve them.

“So, we've been thinking about it,” said Sideswipe eventually. “My brother and I, though unfairly having been tricked into sparking Snarl, are going to follow through with it.”

“Yes we are,” said Sunstreaker emphatically.

“I'm glad to hear that,” said a doubtful Ratchet, having expected to be dealing with two unrepentant mechs.

“We like Snarl. A lot.”

“And, having gotten to know them, we like the Dinobots too.”

“Sure they're a bunch of careless brutes, no offense to their creators, but we've been enjoying our time sparring with them.”

“And snuggling with them.”

Ratchet's fingers twitched. They were about to counter-attack with something he would find shocking. He knew the speech pattern.

“So we have come up with a plan to look after Snarl, and we shall be moving into the Dinobot quarters with him.”

“Yes, after doing a bit of research on parenthood, we found it's best for the sire and carrier to remain close through the gestation period.”

“So we'll need a room of our own in the Dinobot quarters. I'm sure Brawn will be happy to drill one out for us. He owes us a couple of favors.”

Ratchet stood, actually impressed. “Well that sounds like a good plan to me.” Admittedly he was surprised they were planning on moving in with the Dinobots, given their love of the comforts of their quarters in the Ark. But those comforts were surely relocatable to the huge cavern. But more importantly they were taking responsibility for their actions when he'd honestly expected them to simply abandon their new playmate on hearing about Snarl's condition.

“Oh but there's more,” Sunstreaker announced.

Sideswipe chuckled in a low tone.

Ratchet's transfluid ran cold. Now what?

“Well we thought about Grimlock, and how he might take it all, us non-Dinobots moving in with their crew.”

“And we've decided that we need to be reformatted...into Dinobots.”

“To make things a little more comfortable for them.”

Ratchet's knees buckled. This had to be a joke. The twins loved their alt-modes. They'd even talked about keeping them if and when they ever returned to Cybertron.

“Yes. We did a little research on dinosaurs too, and have chosen new forms for ourselves.”

“So with a bit of help from you and Wheeljack and Chip, we'll be ready to take our lives down a different path. We're going to be Dinobots now.”

“And parents, like you said.” Sideswipe gripped his brother's hand in solidarity.

Ratchet didn't move. In fact his optics were glazed over.

“Ratchet?” Sideswipe asked after an uncomfortably long stillness from the CMO.

“I think we broke him.”

“I think you're right.”

They waited patiently for another klik, but Ratchet remained as he was, a small whirring followed by a click the only noise from him, a noise that repeated itself in an endless loop.

“So, shall we go see Wheeljack and tell him our plans?”

“Think we can break him too?”

“Naw, but we might get his other winglet to fall off.”

-o-o-o-o-o-

"Sunset Dreams" continues in Chapter 11: "The Eyes of Tomorrow"

-o-o-o-o-o-


	11. The Eyes of Tomorrow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Optimus hands down a verdict of guilty in Wheeljack's case, but the punishment is nothing anyone expected. Five frames follow--one each for the Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, one each for Snarl's newsparks, and one for Swoop's newspark. The subsequent reformatting of the twins is cause for celebration (and a lot of high-grade).

-o-o-o-o-o-

Optimus Prime's verdict came in a few days later. Apparently there had been much debate over what Wheeljack's actual crime had been and who all had been wronged and if his doing had actually been a crime. Ratchet had been called in for consultation, and sworn to secrecy over anything that had been 'consulted about.' Perceptor had been dragged into Prime's office for discussion with Optimus, Prowl, and Jazz. Snarl and Swoop were summoned as well and prodded to explain how they felt about it.

And after much deliberation, Optimus passed sentence on the anxious engineer. He wasn't to be exiled or imprisoned. But it seemed like either of those options would have been preferable. As punishment his laboratory and its contents were to be handed over to Skyfire and Perceptor, and he was no longer to develop any new weapons or technologies or devices. Wheeljack winced. How could Optimus be so cruel as to deny him his core function? For his entire existence, invent and create was what he had done... what he had lived for... the reason he lived.

Although he'd come to terms with what he'd done and had agreed to accept the punishment as meted out by the Autobot command, this was too much. For a moment, he actually considered abandoning the faction he'd sworn himself to for so long, to simply run away and live free. It would be possible to live here on Earth. It would be possible to get back to Cybertron, or to some other planet. Other places would be glad to have someone like him. He'd made a good living with his skills back on Cybertron before the war.

And then the second half of the sentence was passed. He would be moved down to Room 37, the cargo bay next to the machine shop, and was to set up there as the base's 'Format Specialist.' “If we get new soldiers in, it will be your job to reformat their alt-modes to that of an Earth vehicle. If someone needs a new alt-mode, they are to see you about it. If there are new sparks needing frames, it will be your duty to design and build them,” said Optimus gruffly. “You're also to assist Hauler in the machine shop, and to fabricate replacement parts as needed by Ratchet and Hoist.”

“Your first job of course will be to build frames for Snarl's two sparks and Swoop's one,” pronounced Jazz as he handed Wheeljack a datapad. “And then to reformat Sunstreaker and Sideswipe. You have one Earth week to vacate your lab, and one more after that before your new shop is considered 'open for business'.”

Wheeljack stood trembling in astonishment.

He wasn't being punished. He was being redirected.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Sideswipe came into Room 37 with Snarl in tow, heading for the two large frames stretched out helm-to-helm upon one long table. “See... These will be our new bodies,” Sideswipe said proudly to Snarl, running his hand over the configuration of struts, joints, plates, and cogs.

“You Sideswipe be taller now,” rumbled Snarl.

“Yep. Taller than you, my dear.”

“Taller than Him Grimlock?”

“Not quite. We'll be a bit shorter. And we're going to keep some of our current color scheme so everyone can tell us apart.”

Wheeljack came in from the machine shop carrying a tray of parts. “Hey Snarl. Hey Sideswipe,” he greeted them. “I thought I heard voices in here.”

“I just brought Snarl down to see the progress on our new frames.” He smiled broadly at Wheeljack. “Lookin' good.”

“Thanks,” replied the engineer. “They're actually a lot closer to finished than they look since we'll be re-using a good portion of your current frames. And hey, Chip and I did a lot of work on the frames for your sparklings. May I show you?”

The Dinobot and the soon-to-be-Dinobot followed him over to another worktable where the two frames for the sparks Snarl was carrying were being constructed.

The sparklings' frames had taken precedence as per orders, and one was nearly complete. The other was just a few steps behind. The minibot-sized bodies lay side-by-side, one painted blue and the other painted a sandy gold color.

A life-support system connected to the blue one from the ceiling, bundled power and fluid cables running down to it like an umbilical cord. “Here, watch this.” Tapping in a few commands on the computer connected to its nervous system, the blue frame began to transform.

Breathlessly the two visitors watched as the humanoid frame shifted and folded and unfolded and twisted until a small robotic dinosaur stood there staring blankly at them.

“Him beautiful!” Snarl crooned, a rare smile coming to his face. He reached out to stroke the metal with one hand, his other hand coming to rest over his spark-chamber as it so often did now. “Him perfect! Perfect charonosaurus!” That had been the alt-mode Snarl had chosen for both of his offspring after looking at hundreds of pictures of various dinosaurs.

Sideswipe reached out to touch the frame as well. “You're amazing, Wheeljack,” said the mech in awe of the work of art in front of him. He stroked the extended crest atop the new Dinobot's head.

“Eh...just doing my job. Have you picked out names yet?”

“Him Sideslash,” said Snarl confidently, patting the blue frame on the flank. And then he moved to the sandy-tan colored one. “Him Sunstalker. Me name them after sires. But Slash and Stalker good Dinobot names too.” Due to their identical spark signatures it was impossible to tell which of the two had been the actual sire of the twin sparks, so they'd simply agreed to share the paternal responsibilities.

“I see. Sounds like a good way of doing it.”

“Have you started on the frame for Swoop and Skyfire's sparkling yet?” asked Sideswipe.

Wheeljack nodded. “Of course. And actually, Skyfire and Swoop have been doing most of the construction on it so far. Swoop has been surprisingly good with the tools once you encourage him to give it a try.” He led the way to yet another table where the basics of a frame had been spread out. Snarl stayed behind admiring the blue Dinobot.

At this point the new creation didn't look like much—just a network of wiring and the basic skeleton of the protoframe. “Will he have an alt-mode?” Sideswipe queried.

“Yes, actually. Just a simple one though, suitable for a young flyer.” He pulled up a computer screen and ran through the schematics for the visitors.

“He looks like Cosmos,” was the red mech's appraisal.

“He should. We actually used Cosmos' frame type as the basis for the design. He'll be half of Cosmos' size and without any subspace to start with. You know how much sub-space those flyers manipulate. And here—this is great. He won't be able to fly at first, but...” He flipped to a particular diagram and pointed at three knobs on the underside of the saucer-mode's plating. “He'll have these three caster wheels underneath so he can scoot around. And once he's more established, we can easily remove them and replace them with three anti-gravity units.”

“That's clever.”

“It was actually Carly's idea. She has a lot of good ideas regarding design.”

“Him have name yet?” asked Snarl, finally having torn himself away from Sideslash's frame.

“I don't know if Swoop has chosen one.”

“Will him be Dinobot?”

“Not at first, not like Sideslash and Sunstalker. But maybe when he's older, he might want to take after the Dinobot side of the family. I think Skyfire and Swoop want him to choose for himself once he's ready for a larger frame.”

Wheeljack showed Snarl the schematics, and the Dinobot was little impressed, and soon went back to admiring the two charonosaurus frames, before Sideswipe eventually dragged him away. Hauler had come in to talk to Wheeljack, but on seeing the visiting parents had stood watching from the doorway until they left. “It's amazing really. Your little project of building a bit of extra muscle for the Autobots has gone so much further,” he said once the others had left.

“It really has, hasn't it?” Wheeljack said with a smile.

-o-o-o-o-o-

When the sparkling charonosaurus forms were complete, Wheeljack focused attention on the new frames for Sideswipe and Sunstreaker. And since Snarl's newsparks had not awakened by the time the latter were ready, they went ahead with the transfer of Sideswipe's and Sunstreaker's sparks and final pieces into their new bodies.

Grimlock, in celebration of the acquisition of the two new Dinobots, insisted on hosting a welcoming party in the Dinobot quarters to mark the event. To the Dinobots' surprise, most everyone who wasn't on duty showed up. Their main room was packed with laughing, happy Autobots, Blaster playing the tunes and Jazz running a bar of sorts in the back corner, dispensing the stash of confiscated high-grade that had been building up in Red Alert's office.

At the center of it all, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe were having a great time, flaunting their new larger, stronger bodies and garnering a lot of attention. An hour in, the two called for silence and moved to the center of the room, demanding the spotlight. They'd not unveiled their new alternate modes yet, but everyone sensed that the time of revelation had come. “Y'all ready for this?” sung Sideswipe.

A cheer went up from the crowd.

“Blaster, some music please.” 

The designated DJ put on some suitably loud and upbeat anthem.

The twins struck a few poses for the crowd, obviously having practiced for this moment. And then they looked at each other, nodded, and leapt into the air with a quick burst of the thrusters in their feet. Synchronously they transformed mid-air and hit the ground in their new dinosaur modes.

They were smaller than Grimlock but had the same predatory shape, but with slightly longer necks more substantial forelimbs. Atop each head between the eyes sat an unusual sideways crest, colored for recognition, while the majority of their external plating was the steel and dull metallic gold used for the other Dinobots. Savage teeth lined each jaw. Their feet boasted claws heavy enough to tear open light to mid-weight armor.

Wild applause and cheering signaled approval of the twins' reformatting.

Grimlock strode forward and between them, took their clawed hands, and gripped them for all to see. “Him Sideswipe and Him Sunstreaker now Dinobots. Them with us now!”

More wild applause and cheering.

“Show us what you can do!” shouted a voice from the audience.

“Have we got any Decepticon prisoners?” snarled Sunstreaker, lowering his head and shaking it aggressively.

“Yeah. Anyone in the brig?” growled Sideswipe, his toothsome head swinging around to look directly at Red Alert.

“We...we don't have any prisoners r-right n-now,” the security officer stammered.

“And we wouldn't bring you one anyway, if we did,” cautioned Optimus. “Save it for battle, you two.”

Sunstreaker shifted and vented loudly. “Me Sunstreaker disappointed.”

“Me Grimlock disappointed too,”complained their leader aloud, clapping his two new soldiers across their backs. “New Dinobots strong and fast,” .

The party went on, the attendees coming over to see and touch the twins' new forms, wanting to feel the strength Wheeljack had put into them. Their arms were about the same, but their legs were on par with Brawn's muscle. Snarl stood with them, feeling very proud to be the mate of the pair.

Later, the three found Wheeljack, who was quite blitzed on high-grade and leaning against Ratchet for support. They thanked him again for their new frames and complimented him on his excellent work building them. “Jet-judo will never be the same again,” laughed Sunstreaker, back in his robot mode. “Now it will be more like... like...”

“Like a dinosaur donnybrook?” suggested Ratchet.

“Yeah, whatever a donnybrook is,” Sideswipe agreed, still in dinosaur form and himself rather inebriated by the refined energon. Heat seemed to radiate from his brilliant red crest.

“I'm looking forward to my first battle,” Sunstreaker said enthusiastically. “Give those Decepticons a taste of these claws.” He nodded toward the appropriate part of his alternate frame.

“Me Sideswipe want to smash Decepticons. Show Them Seekers new weapons. Melt them with fire breath.” He brandished a claw filled hand.

Wheeljack shook a finger at him. “You know, just because you're Dinobots now, it doesn't mean that you have to talk that way.” The twins had first picked up the Dinobot speech pattern as a bit of a private joke, but they found themselves using it more often than not when amongst the other Dinobots.

“Oh, but it's so much fun. You should try it sometime,” Sunstreaker contradicted. “Go ahead...say 'Me Wheeljack. Try it.”

“I think I'm just going to try lying down in that corner over there. Whatever was in that blue energon Jazz gave me really did me in.”

“Who makes the blue stuff?” Sunstreaker asked his twin. “Our brew's closer to purple.”

“Me not know. But me want.” Sideswipe turned his toothy grin toward the bar. “Me Sideswipe go see if any blue energon left.”

“It might be some of the stuff they pulled off of Astrotrain that time we caught him,” suggested Ratchet.

“Great... Decepticon highgrade. Explains why it tasted so sweet,” moaned Wheeljack.

“I'll take you back to your quarters,” volunteered Ratchet, slipping one of Wheeljack's arms onto his shoulder. “It looks like the party's winding down anyway.” About half of the attendees had headed out already and Blaster had started in on the down-tempo tunes. It was no surprise to see Skyfire and Swoop out in the designated dancing area, Skyfire leading the smaller mech through a slow waltz next to Mirage and Hound, who were doing the same.. Carly and Spike were there as well, swaying together in a tight circle to the music.

“C'mon Wheeljack. I'll get you home and tucked into your berth,” said Ratchet, dragging the engineer out the door.

“Want to tuck in with me?” Wheeljack offered. “I've got some nice pillows, and Hoist is on duty until morning.” His hand reached over and pawed at Ratchet's chest with a clumsy stroking motion.

Ratchet chuckled. “You always offer when you're drunk on energon. But when you're sober—nothing. I don't even get a second glance.”

“So that's a no?” he asked disappointedly.

“Ask me in the morning when you've settled the charge and sobered up.”

“But I'll be busy in the morning. I've got stuff to do. Got to finish up the frame for Swoop's sparkling. And I've got to design a frame for another sparkling.”

Ratchet looked over at Wheeljack. “Oh?”

Wheeljack scrambled to a stop, looked up and down the corridor, and pulled down his mask. “It's a secret, but I have to build a another frame for a sparkling. Someone got inspired,” he whispered conspiratorially. “But it's all hush-hush for now.” 

They continued on to Wheeljack's quarters, and on reaching the door, Ratchet looked about. “It wouldn't happen to have been a request for a Praxian frame, would it?” he asked quietly.

Wheeljack's optics brightened with surprise and then dimmed to a deep blue. “What makes you ask that?”

Ratchet smirked. “Oh...just a lucky guess. I'm sure it doesn't have anything to do with anyone coming into the medibay yesterday for a spark scan.”

Wheeljack cackled gleefully.

“I think your devious plan is working, my friend.”

“Well for that could I at least have a goodnight kiss? Like the humans do?” Wheeljack grinned, leaning back against his door and trying to pull Ratchet into an embrace.

“You're incorrigible.”

“And proud of it.”

Ratchet smirked and slapped his hand onto the door control panel, opening it. Wheeljack stumbled around as the door slid open behind him, but was unable to find his balance and ended up sprawled rather ungracefully on the floor of the room he shared with Hoist.

“Well, you're home. Goodnight.”

Wheeljack sighed. And then he laughed and rolled into a more comfortable position as if to drop into recharge right there. “Goodnight Ratchet. I'll be here if you change your mind.”

Ratchet chuckled and closed the door.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"Sunset Dreams" continues in Chapter 12: "Sunset Dreams"

-o-o-o-o-o-


	12. Sunset Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Swoop and Skyfire's newspark becomes aware, and preparations begin for his birth. When the time arrives, Sunrise is delivered into the waiting arms of his ecstatic parents.

-o-o-o-o-o-

“Swoop? Are you all right?” Skyfire asked, waking from his recharge to find Swoop lying on his back staring at some distant horizon far beyond the walls of their berthroom and the Ark. “Swoop?”

“The newspark... It's awake,” he said softly.

A whimper of joy escaped Skyfire's vocalizer and he kissed his mate excitedly. The final phase of gestation had begun. They'd known it was approaching when Swoop's energon need had increased some thirty percent while his activity level had suddenly decreased to almost nothing. The past several days he had hardly even left the berth.

“He's talking to me. It's so sweet.”

“Is he ready to leave? Should I comm' Ratchet and tell him to warm up the frame?” Skyfire hopped out of the berth and began fussing with the pillows and blankets he had made his mate extra-comfortable with for this phase. Swoop looked so adorable all tucked into the soft bedding, borrowed from others he knew had such things in their berths.

“I've not asked. I've not even explained it to him. We've only been communicating about an hour.”

“Swoop, let me plug in. Let me talk to him.” He impatiently began easing the Dinobot onto his stomach.

Swoop half-laughed and half-moaned. “You're so eager.”

“My first child. Of course I am. Shouldn't I be?”

“Snarl said that Sunstreaker and Sideswipe waited two days to talk to their sparklings.”

“Good for them. Now come on. Let me at that panel.”

Swoop laughed. “Only if you kiss me first. And let me tell Sunrise that you're coming to visit.”

Skyfire grinned. He'd never thought that life would ever get any better than the time he'd spent with Starscream. How wrong he was.

-o-o-o-o-o-

As it had for his brother, the public announcement of the newspark's awakening and naming had brought a regular stream of visitors to Swoop's berthside.

Snarl was often there, his three-week old sparklings following him devotedly. More often than not, the little ones would end up climbing into Skyfire's place in the huge berth, carved right out of the cavern's rock, and would fall into recharge there. They were most intrigued by Swoop's pregnancy, having been on the inside so recently themselves. They eagerly pressed their audial vents to Swoop's frame in hopes of hearing their cousin. After all, Swoop said that Sunrise talked to him.

The Aerialbots were the second most-frequent visitors if one counted their visits as a whole. They'd not been concerned with Snarl, but were excited to know that a flyer would be joining the ranks. Swoop had never really gotten to know them before, the gestalt team spending most of its time in a hangar separate from the Ark. But now he'd come to know them all, enough to consider them friends. Unbeknownst to the carrier though, some were a bit disappointed in the name choice for the sparkling. “Sunrise? That's not really a name for a flyer, and certainly not a warrior,” Slingshot complained to Silverbolt after a visit one afternoon.

“I asked Skyfire about it,” explained the Aerialbot leader, “and he said that it's personal to him and Swoop.”

“Oh well. It's their sparkling. They get to choose.”

Optimus Prime came every other day, usually by himself, and would sit for an hour or so talking with Swoop, sharing stories and experiences with him and whomever happened to be there at the time. Skyfire, knowing that both he and his mate were still somewhat seeking acceptance by the faction, was thrilled that their leader came. Having the child would be a big step in the right direction.

At one point Red Alert came in, behaving somewhat nervously—more so than usual. On spotting Skyfire and the two sleeping Dinobot sparklings on the berth behind Swoop, he said he'd return later, but Swoop assured him it was fine to talk. And so the nervous security officer sat down and began to ask question after question about carrying and what it was like. Eventually, he admitted that he himself was a carrier, and that Inferno had been suggesting that perhaps now would be a decent time to put that ability to use, things being moderately stable on Earth. Later Skyfire chuckled at Red Alert's questions. “I guess they just needed someone to break the ice for them.”

Cosmos was granted permission to descend from orbit to visit as well, and the saucer-former was thoroughly tickled to learn that Sunrise's first frame would be based upon his own.

Powerglide and his human girlfriend came, Astoria bringing a large soft blanket as a baby-gift for the newspark.

Carly and Spike visited repeatedly as they had with Snarl, the two of them having always appreciated the Dinobots.

Skyfire spent as much time as he could with his bondmate, and one afternoon, he had a large package for Swoop. “I brought you something...I had to order it specially made from a factory in China.”

“Oh?”

Swoop opened the package, and found it contained a very large pentagonal piece of sheer fabric, pale gold in color with a slight sparkle to it, bordered with a thin band of matching silk jacquard.

“It's pretty, but what is it?” Swoop asked as he removed it from the wrapping.

His bondmate simply smiled, and then leaned over and kissed him tenderly.

-o-o-o-o-o-

On the chosen day, the old Vosian tradition was followed, in which Swoop, covered from the top of his crest to about his knees with the sheer veil, was brought to the place where there new spark was to be placed into its first frame. Back in the Golden Age, a carrier about to be delivered of a newspark was draped and led by the hand through the streets to the place of transference by the sire or a close friend. In this case, Skyfire brought Swoop out of their berthroom in the Dinobot quarters, parading him past the eight assembled Dinobots and then through the halls of the Ark to the medibay. Some of the mechs they passed wondered at the veil and asked why he was covered, having never heard of the tradition.

Outside the medibay, the Autobot officers waited along one wall, which pleased Skyfire to no end. Powerglide and the Aerialbots were there as well, excited to be welcoming a new flyer into their ranks.

Entering the somewhat darkened overflow room of the medibay, they found Wheeljack and Ratchet waiting beside an empty berth. The frame for the new spark, about the size of a large human, waited on another berth, powered up and its spark-chamber open and ready to receive. Hoist stood between the two, the spark-transfer gloves already on his hands.

Skyfire gracefully lifted the golden veil and gave Swoop a kiss, but did not linger. There would be plenty of time for the sharing of affection in the hours following the transfer.

Giving his mate one last touch—a hand stroked down the canopy of his chest—Swoop walked calmly to the empty medberth and climbed onto it, lying on his front. He'd seen videos of the transfer in the information packet, and had been quietly present when Snarl's sparks were put into their new frames, so he knew what to expect. He settled his head onto the pillow placed for him, never breaking eye-contact with his mate, their optics gleaming with love. Inside of him Sunrise was curled about his spark, anxiously churning. The two life forces crowded the chamber. ~It's time,~ he told Sunrise. ~You're going to join us now. You'll have your own chamber and body soon.~

~I'm excited to see you and Skyfire. Is he close?~

~He'll probably be the first thing you see when your optics come on-line.~

Wordlessly Ratchet and Wheeljack opened up the main access panel on Swoop's back and slid away the sub-plate that further protected the chamber. There was a pause and a furtive glance at each other on seeing the poem and Skyfire's name signed to it.

“Open when you're ready,” Ratchet instructed gently.

Swoop inhaled, cycled the air through all of his systems, and then vented it smoothly. “I'm ready,” he said and released the latches holding his spark-chamber shut. It opened, filling the dim room with the brightness of the two souls contained within it. The light streamed out, golden and orange, and the mechs present all gasped, especially those looking in from the open doorway.

Hoist reached inside with practiced calmness, carefully taking the orange one between his fingers. “This one?” he verified with Skyfire.

The scientist nodded, tears of joy coming to his optics. “Yes. That's Sunrise.”

Slowly, delicately, Hoist lifted the spark, allowing it to separate from Swoop's, and placed it into the waiting chamber of the new frame. Skyfire approached and manually closed Sunrise's spark-chamber and its five latches. The rest of the plating slid closed automatically.

Leaving Swoop open and under Ratchet's watch, Wheeljack moved to the monitor attached to the sparkling. “So far so good...”

Skyfire leaned over the chubby frame, tiny compared to his own size, and stroked the chest plates with a single finger. “Sunrise? Sunrise can you hear me?”

A light suddenly flared and dimmed in the frame's optics and the whole frame twitched twice. An EM field began to rise from the newly filled chamber.

“Sunrise?”

The blue optics brightened and glowed steadily, taking in the face before him. “Skyfire? My sire?” crackled his vocalizer weakly after a minute—a minute in which every observer stood tense with anticipation.

Skyfire grinned broadly. Bless Primus for bestowing precocity on their young. “Yes...it's me. Skyfire.” His finger slid up to stroke the sparkling's head. “Welcome.”

“You're so far away...” Sunrise's optics darted about, looking frantically for something. “Swoop? Where is Swoop, my carrier?”

Swoop squeaked from the neighboring berth. “Sunrise! I'm here!” he called, melting at the sound of his name as spoken by the sparkling. The crowd at the door was squirming and ready to melt as well.

The Dinobot tried to raise himself on his elbows but Ratchet held him down. “Hang on there, Swoop” the medic chided. “Let me close you up first.” He looked to Wheeljack, who returned a nod, signaling that it was okay to proceed.

With some difficulty, Sunrise turned his head toward Swoop and was staring at him past Hoist's bulk. And then he struggled to raise an arm toward him. “Swoop! So far away!” his vocalizer hissed again.

“Oh my gosh! Look at that!” squealed Fireflight as he clung to the doorframe. “He knows his carrier!” The whole group at the door was either cooing, gasping, or wiping away tears. Even Powerglide was much moved and had to be held up, or perhaps back, by Air Raid.

Ratchet sealed up Swoop's spark-chamber and closed his back panels, and then assisted Swoop into a sitting position. Sunrise was still calling anxiously for him.

“Skyfire, bring Sunrise over here,” the CMO instructed.

The shuttleformer delicately picked up the child, still connected to the umbilicals hanging down from the ceiling , and placed him into Swoop's arms.

“Carrier!” the little one squeaked as the Dinobot cradled him.

“Yes,” Swoop purred.

“You're...far away. I can't feel your spark.”

“It's here...just wait a moment,” Swoop cooed, one of Skyfire's hands folding over his shoulder. He sat patiently as Wheeljack popped open a connection port on Swoop's right side and Ratchet opened one on his left. Quickly they withdrew the attached cables and connected them to Sunrise, reestablishing the contact the new spark had come to know inside the womb of Swoop's spark-chamber.

“Carrier...” sighed Sunrise happily as he off-lined his optics and retreated into the familiarity of Swoop's systems.

Grinning happily, Ratchet moved over to the monitor and checked the readings. “All systems steady and functional,” he announced. “I think we can pull the umbilicals and plug in Skyfire.”

Ratchet nodded to Hoist, who had removed the spark-handling gloves and was stowing them in their place in the berth's pedestal. “Say when, Ratchet.”

The CMO gradually shut down the support flowing to the sparkling's frame while Hoist eased Skyfire into a position on the berth where he could cradle the two smaller bodies. Wheeljack was meanwhile pulling more interface cables out of Swoop and the scientist.

“All shut down, except for the monitor line,” Ratchet announced.

Hoist disconnected Sunrise from the umbilicals as Wheeljack connected Skyfire to his child and bondmate. The connections made, the three curled together into a blissful knot, set to spend the next several hours huddled together, introducing Sunrise to his new frame and the world.

Hoist next went to the door to chase away the observers. “Show's over. Time to give them some peace.”

Surprisingly, Silverbolt grabbed Hoist and gave him a huge hug. “Hoist! You did great. If any of us flyers get sparked, I want you to deliver for us. That was...that was...”

“That was beautiful!” Fireflight said, tears still misting his optics. “I so want to get sparked so I can be a part of it, and yes, you have to do the delivery for me.”

Air Raid had his arm over Powerglide's shoulders and had obviously been wiping his face with the towel in his hand. “Powerglide? Have you gotten that Astoria girl of yours sparked yet? If not, you should. Look how beautiful that all was.”

Powerglide wasn't sure whether he was laughing or sobbing. The noise sort of came out as both. “You have no clue, do you, Air Raid?”

“All right. Go plan your families or whatever. I've got to close off this door,” Hoist chuckled, shaking his head.

“Party in the hangar!” barked Silverbolt.

With a cheer, the Aerialbots grabbed Optimus and Red Alert and dragged them away to celebrate the arrival of a new flyer. Jazz and Prowl had already disappeared, ducking out shortly after Sunrise woke in his new frame.

Hoist closed the overflow room's door from the outside and locked it, but before he could get to the main door hands closed in on him. Slingshot and Skydive began to drag him off as well. Hoist sent Ratchet and Wheeljack a comm' letting them know that he'd been kidnapped and probably would not be able to return to the medibay any time soon. The same thing had happened after he'd placed Sunstalker and Sideslash into their first frames, except that he'd been hauled into the Dinobots' cavern and been kept by an overly-protective Grimlock well after the celebration had ended. Ratchet and Wheeljack ended up having to rescue him after three days, by which time it was clear the two sparklings were in perfect shape and thriving enthusiastically in their frames, and Grimlock was assured that a doctor was no longer needed to watch immediately over the family.

Ratchet went over to the three and set his hands on Skyfire's arm, the big mech activating his optics again. “Yes?”

“We're done here, so we're going to leave you alone. We'll be in the main room of the medibay if you need us.”

“All right.”

Swoop stretched out a hand and took Ratchet's. “Thank you, Creator Ratchet.”

“You're welcome, Creator Swoop.”

Swoop smiled beatifically, and then reached for Wheeljack who had come over as well. “Creator Wheeljack...thank you.”

Wheeljack could not help but let the tears come at that point. “Swoop...” was all he could manage to say before he'd choke up.

The two went out, closing the door behind them, and slouched onto a bench together. Thankfully it all had gone smoothly and quickly, just as it should.

Wheeljack and Ratchet smiled a private congratulations at each other. “Our third grandchild, I suppose,” sighed Wheeljack.

“I guess you could say that. And the third sparkling to have graced this soggy little planet.”

“Unless the Decepticons have produced any.”

“Hard to say. But who knows where they've gotten the sparks for the gestalts they've built here on Earth. I don't know if they had any newsparks in stasis like we did,” Ratchet rumbled.

“Eh, who cares about what the Decepticons are up to regarding their sparks and sparklings. Main thing is that we're back in the baby business.”

“We were never in the baby business. When's the last time we had a sparkling?”

“Point taken.”

-o-o-o-o-o-

"Sunset Dreams" concludes in Chapter 13: "Epilogue"

-o-o-o-o-o-


	13. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One last scene in which Wheeljack and Ratchet throw a little frosting onto the happy ending.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Wheeljack walked into the medibay and set down the tray of parts he'd just finished fabricating to replace the worn ones in Ironhide's shoulder. “Here ya' go. Shiny and new.” He pushed the tray across the table toward Ratchet.

Ratchet looked up from the datapad he was studying. “You know, I think the only part of Ironhide we haven't replaced yet in all the time we've known him is his attitude.”

“I think you're right.”

Ratchet looked at the parts in the tray and then picked up the largest of the cogwheels, held it up to the light, and scrutinized it. “Primus you do nice work,” he complimented. “Why didn't anyone move you down to the machine shop before?”

Wheeljack shrugged. “Maybe because everyone thought of me as the 'mad engineer' rather than the 'overly-qualified machinist.' Just a guess. And...speaking of 'mad'...”

Ratchet replaced the cogwheel and squinted across the table at Wheeljack.

“Hoist put a carrier unit into me. Those things are such a pain to retrofit. It took us several sessions over most of the week. We ended up having to pull my spark-chamber to do it,” he sighed anticlimactically. “But I figured I'd better start practicing what I preach. Though I'm certainly not going to encourage anyone else to go through adding a carrier matrix.”

Ratchet rose and came around to the other side of the table. “Wheeljack! So that's where you've been! And pulling your chamber? That's dangerous and you know it, you old fool. You should have at least called me to help.” He held the engineer at arms' length and stared him in the optics and sighed deeply. And then he embraced him warmly. “Well, congratulations!”

“So I guess I'm a carrier now. Time to update my records.”

“And you're all calibrated? How long until it's active?”

“It should be active already. Just gotta find a sire and I'm good to go. Hoist mentioned he'd be happy to help with that as well if I didn't have anyone else in mind.”

Ratchet gave Wheeljack a bit of a devilish smirk. “Are you sober?”

The engineer glared at him. “Of course I'm sober. What kind of a...” He cut himself off as it dawned on him. “Oh...” And then he chuckled.

Ratchet put his arms over the shorter mech's shoulders and leaned in closely, locking optics with his old friend. “Ironhide's repairs can wait until tomorrow.”

-o-  
-o-o-  
-o-o-o-  
-o-o-o-o-  
-o-o-o-o-o-

The End

-o-o-o-o-o-  
-o-o-o-o-  
-o-o-o-  
-o-o-  
-o-


End file.
